


Fall from Grace

by Kirye22



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-11 14:39:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 69,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3329831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirye22/pseuds/Kirye22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After spending her whole life being told she's sick, Elsa finally has a life of her own. She has a job, an apartment, a friend (even if it is her therapist), and for the first time in forever, she's happy. Everything's going great. Until it isn't. And Elsa is stuck answering the one question that has plagued her since she was a child: Is she crazy? Modern AU Elsanna (Mature content)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I hope y'all like this story! It just kinda came to me, like, literally out of the blue. Please let me know what y'all think!
> 
> Disclaimer: Disney owns Frozen and all characters associated with it.

Fall from Grace

Chapter 1

" _Elsa!"_

_The blond turns at the sound of her name. Tears come to her eyes when she sees that familiar splattering of freckles, those strawberry-blond pigtails, and, most importantly, those beautiful teal eyes. She brings a hand to her mouth slowly, not believing her eyes as the girl slowly approaches her with a smile on her face. She had almost lost hope._

" _You're here," whispers Elsa, still not truly believing her eyes. "You're really here."_

" _That's right, Els. I'm here," replies the girl with another smile._

_Elsa cups the girls face, needing to feel her, to know that she is really here, alive and well. And she is. Overcome, Elsa suddenly lets out a sob, throwing her arms around the strawberry-blond, and nearly crushing the woman._

" _Hey, hey, hey," coos the woman, pulling her into a tight embrace without protesting against how hard Elsa is squeezing her. "Shh, it's okay, Els. It's all going to be okay."_

" _I-I…I-I t-thought I-I'd l-lost y-you!" cried Elsa into the girl's shoulder, pulling her impossibly closer. Her hands brush up against the girl's wings, and she resists the urge to stroke them. She always did love how incredibly soft they were._

" _I know," says the woman, planting kisses on the top of the blonds head. "I know, and I'm sorry."_

_After a few minutes, Elsa's sobs settle into small hiccups, and she finally pulls back to look into the girl's eyes. The two gaze at each other for another moment, neither of them wanting to move. Elsa feels softness on her cheek as the girl caresses it with the backs of her fingers until her forefinger reaches Elsa's lips. Elsa kisses the digit softly before taking the girl's hand in hers and brings it close, savoring the girl's presence._

She's here,  _Elsa reassures herself._

" _Elsa," the girl finally speaks softly as if her voice was a caress too. Her eyes still gaze into Elsa's cerulean blue ones as she continues "I have something very important I need to ask you."_

_At this, Elsa furrows her eyebrows, confusion clear on her face. "What is it?"_

_The strawberry-blond hesitates for a moment, as if she's afraid of what Elsa might say, until she looks Elsa dead in the eye._

" _Do you love me?"_

*****line break*****

Elsa's breath hitches as she opens her eyes, sunlight filtering through her bedroom window. She blinks a few times before looking at her alarm clock. Seven AM. She groans and rubs the sleep from her eyes, tempted to go back to sleep and finish her dream. It had been such a good one, and she rarely had those these days.

After a few minutes, she realizes she's wide awake and trying to return to the dream world is pointless, finally deciding to get out of bed. She stood, stretching like a cat before running a hand through her unruly platinum mane, attempting to tame the beast enough to braid it. When she succeeds, she stands, only to find her stomach rumbling.

_Wow, I'm really hungry_ , she thinks, walking out of her room, only to find her roommate already making breakfast. She smiles.  _Good O'le Kristoff._

She saunters over to the bar, plopping down on the stool and letting her head fall into her hands with a groan.

"Another bad night, I take it?" Kristoff asks.

Elsa looks up, only to find a large cup of coffee in front of her. She smiles and takes the mug between her palms to warm her hands before she takes a sip.

"Thanks, Kris," she says, "and, no it wasn't. Quite the opposite actually, which is why I'm upset. It's the first time in weeks I  _didn't_  want to wake up."

Kristoff grunts in response as he flips a pancake. "Well that's good," he says, pushing a plate topped with homemade pancakes, bacon, and hash browns over to her. "At least you didn't have a nightmare again."

Elsa hums a neutral response as she digs in, already distracted by the food. She truly loves the big blonde's cooking. It's part of the reason she agreed to live with him. Well that and…one other reason. As she eats, she feels Kristoff's eyes on her.

She swallows a bite and sighs. "Kristoff, I'm fine. Really."

"Are you sure, Els? I mean, it's only been a few weeks—"

"I said I'm fine," she snaps, cutting him off. He only gives her a look of concern, and she sighs again, running a hand through her bangs.

"Look," she says forcefully, "I know it's your job to worry about me, but I'm fine. Like you said, it's been three weeks, and I already have an apartment  _and_  a job, so just ease up a bit, okay? I got enough on my plate already."

The blond hesitates for a moment, worry still in his eyes, before he nods, giving her a small smile. "Okay, Els." Then he smiles. "And I'm not so sure about having 'enough on your plate'. You've demolished those pancakes. Want more?"

Elsa turns back to her food and quirks a brow. She really had been hungry apparently, and truth be told—

Her stomach gurgles her response before she can.

"Another batch coming right up, Els," Kristoff gives her a pleased smile.

Once finished, Elsa dashes to her room to get ready for the day, needing to be at work by 9. By the time Kristoff is finished cleaning up after their breakfast, she's is already dressed in her barista outfit, her hair pulled back in a cleaner version of her signature braid.

"Wish me luck on my first day!" she calls out, grabbing her keys as he heads towards the door.

Kristoff hums then bursts out "Elsa wait!" before Elsa can leave the apartment. She pokes her head back through the door, a questioning look on her face.

"What?" she asks, trying to keep the impatience from her voice. She really needs to get going if she wants to make it on time.

Kristoff walks over to her, arms crossed. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Elsa pauses for a moment before a slight blush tints the bridge of her nose.

"That's what I thought," says Kristoff, handing her the small bottle of pills. "Don't forget, you have to take them every—"

"Every six hours, yeah I know," she huffs, popping a dose into her mouth, dry swallowing it, before dropping the bottle into her pocket. "I'll see ya later Kris," she calls and bolts before he can say anything further.

*****line break*****

"All right, so you know how to work the thingamajig…"

_Cash register_ , Elsa thinks to herself, and nods.

"The whatchamacallits…"

_Coffee machines._

"Annnnd the dishwasher."

_She got that one,_  Elsa nearly laughs, but nods again, trying to keep up as she follows her new boss around the small café.

"Then I think you're good to go," the redhead says and turns to face her, a large smile on her face. "Good luck on your first day, and let me know if you need anything!"

"Thanks, Ariel! I will," Elsa replies, earning another smile before her boss walks off towards the back, leaving her alone at the register.

"Okay, Elsa," the blond says to herself, "You can do this. I know you've been out of the game for…a while now, but you can do this." She looks up when she hears the door's bell ding, and takes a deep breath, smiling at her first costumer. "Hello! How can I help you?"

*****line break*****

As far as first days go, Elsa's wasn't too bad. Sure she was a little socially awkward at times, but she didn't mess up anyone's order, and everyone seemed pleased with her service. Ariel even came out a few times to tell her what a good job she was doing, causing Elsa to blush and mumble a soft "thank you."

_Kristoff would be proud_ , she decides, smiling to herself as she wipes down the tables.  _I even remembered to take those stupid pills on time._  She checks her watch, glad to see there is only a few minutes left until closing time. The sound of the door dinging catches her attention.

"I'll be with you in a minute!" she calls, finishing her task, before walking over to the register. "Sorry about that, how may I help y—" Elsa's eyes widen and her voice stops her in throat.

The boy smiles at her, scratching the back of his head nervously, tousling his white hair. "Hey Els. Long time no see."

Elsa takes a step back, closing her eyes against the sight.  _No. No no no no no, this can't be happening. It's been three years!_

"Aw, Els, aren't you glad to see me?" he presses. She opens one eye tentatively only to see the boy hopping up to sit on the counter before he continues. "I mean it's been what? Three years? That's a long time to go without a warm hug, ya know."

Elsa takes another step back. "You're not real."

The boy scoffs, bringing his hand to his chest in mock hurt. "Who, me? Naah, I'm totally real. And you used to believe that," he points a finger at her, his smile never wavering.

Elsa covers her ears, feeling the start of a slight panic attack as she crouches down, burying her face in her knees. "You're not real You're not real. You're not real."

Over her mumbles, she hears the boy sigh. "Fine," he says, and she can hear him hop off the counter. Then it's quiet. Elsa looks up, her breathing shallow and her heart racing as she searches for the boy. When she doesn't see anything, she slowly stands, letting her hands fall from her ears.

"O-Olaf," she whimpers, not sure if she wants him to answer or not. When he doesn't, she takes another deep breath, bracing herself on the counter.

"Shit," she curses. She knows she'll have to tell Kristoff. And she knows what he'll say.  _Damn it! I was so close!_

"Hey Elsa, it's time to close up—uh, are you okay?" asks Ariel suddenly, startling the blond.

"Um, yeah, yeah I'm fine," replies Elsa, putting on a smile for the redhead. "Just got a little lightheaded is all."

Ariel looks at her skeptically. "Are you sure?"

Elsa gulps. "...n-no, no I'm not. I'm sorry, it's just, sometimes I can have some pretty bad…anxiety and I hate to do this on my first day and all…"

"No, it's all right," Ariel says slowly, "why don't you head home, I'll…I'll close up."

_Shit._ Elsa tries a reassuring smile, but it comes out as more of a grimace, before heading out the door, still a little shaken. As she walks home, she contemplates not telling Kristoff. After all, it  _has_  been three years. And she knows if she tells him, he won't let her leave the apartment again. Not for a while.

_But he'll know if I'm not telling him something._

She groans, running a hand over her face, as she reaches the front door. Why did it have to be today, the first good day she's had in weeks? She sighs, resting her head on the door.

_And I was doing so well._

She takes another deep breath, knowing she's about to face the inevitable, and unlocks the door.

_Here goes nothing_.

*****line break*****


	2. Two

*****line break*****

 

Fall from Grace

 

Chapter 2

 

Elsa should’ve known she couldn’t hide anything from Kristoff. He knew something was amiss the second she walked through the door.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as she entered the room. 

Elsa shakes her head. “N-nothing.” 

“Elsa you’re a terrible liar,” he says, unconvinced. “What. Happened.” 

The platinum blonde sighs and takes a seat at the bar, putting her head in her arms. She hears Kristoff walk over and sit next to her. She feels a hand on her shoulder. 

“Come on, Els,” he pushes, “you know you can tell me anything, right? It’s what I’m here for.”

“I know,” comes her muffled reply. 

Kristoff waits a moment before trying again. “It can’t be that bad, can it?” 

A nod.

“All right, so what, you had a bad day a work?” 

Elsa shakes her head no. 

“Did you…get fired?” 

Another shake.

“Elsa, I’m drowning here. Please tell me what happened.” 

Elsa mumbles something unintelligible into her arms. 

“What was that?” says Kristoff, “You gotta speak up, Els.” 

Elsa lifts her head, and looks him dead in the eye, knowing she’s not getting out of this. 

“I said…I said I saw Olaf today,” she says in a small voice. 

It’s quiet for a moment while Kristoff digests her words. 

“Okay,” he says, and Elsa raises an eyebrow. 

“That’s it?” she says skeptically. “That’s all you have to say? Okay?” 

Kristoff shrugs. “Well, yeah. What did you want me to say? 

Elsa looks at him incredulously for a moment. “You’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would,” she says. “Why?” 

Kristoff shrugs again, before rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Well, if I’m being honest, Els, I kinda expected something like this to happen.” 

Elsa narrow’s her eyes. “What do you mean?” 

“Whoa, no need to get all defensive there, blondie,” he says, raising his hands in surrender. “All I mean is, maybe you were just a little…stressed out today?” 

When cerulean eyes narrow farther, Kristoff moves to explain. “Look,” he starts, “it’s not like you haven’t been doing well. In fact, it’s just the opposite. I mean, you haven’t seen nor heard from him in, what, three years? That’s nothing short of amazing. But everyone has relapses, Els. Especially in times of stress, and, whether you want to admit it or not, you _were_ stressed out today. After all, it’s the first time you’ve been out in public in a very long time. Really, I’d be concerned if something like this _didn’t_ happen.” 

“So you expected for me to see him?” Elsa deadpans. 

“Well, no,” Kristoff backpedals. “But I did expect _something_ to happen.” 

“Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Kris,” she replies sarcastically, letting her head fall back onto her arms. 

“Hey, it’s not like that, Els,” he says, rubbing her back. “You know I’m incredibly proud of how far you’ve come.” 

“I know,” she mutters, raising her head again. “I’m just…a little freaked out.” 

“Come here,” Kristoff pulls Elsa into a hug. “It’ll be all right. You beat this once; you can beat it again.” 

Elsa nods into his shoulder. The two of them sit in silence for a few minutes, before Elsa pulls away, wiping the slight moister in her eyes.

“Thanks Kris,” she says, giving him a sincere smile. “So, um, what now?” 

The blonde cocks his head. “Well, we can’t really increase your prescription, seeing as you’re already taking the maximum dose, but…maybe we can try something else?” 

“Like what?” sniffs Elsa. 

“Well, um…here, how about this,” he says, shifting to fully face her. “The next time you see him, if there is a next time,” he says, when she shoots him a look, “try just, ignoring him.” 

Elsa raises an eyebrow. “Ignore him?” 

“Yeah,” replies Kristoff. 

“Really?” Elsa deadpans. “Ignore him. You spent eight years in med school, and that’s the best you can come up with?” 

“Hey,” he responds, cracking a smile. “It’s not that bad of an idea. And as you’re official stay-home therapist, it’s my recommended course of treatment.” 

“Oh really,” giggles Elsa, finally starting to feel better.

“Yes, really,” chuckles Kristoff. “But seriously. I think you should try it. And if it doesn’t work then, well, we’ll look into some other options, okay?” 

“Okay,” she says, before standing. “Thanks again, Kris.” 

“Sure, Kid, anytime” Kristoff smiles. 

She rolls her eyes—after all, he’s not all that much older than she is, but hey, who is she to judge eccentricities? 

Kristoff grins at her expression then shoos her. “In the meantime, go relax. Maybe a bath or something?” 

Elsa purses her lips to the side as she muses on the idea. “All right. That sounds nice, actually.” 

She preps her bath with all the extravagance she can find in the bathroom cabinets: bath bombs, salts, candles, and enough Oaken Brand bubbles to be buried in. 

She seeps into the warm water with a satisfied sigh and begins her daily calming exercises. First, she thinks about this morning’s stress of being to work on time. _Let it go_. Then that one customer that wanted his drink done five times in five different ways (Ariel had warned Elsa about that ‘particularly wonderful’ regular). _Let it go_. Then of course…there was Olaf. 

_Relax._

_Let it go._

With a deep breath, she does just that. 

Her lids become heavy. She hasn’t had to go out and interact with so many people for a very long time. It’s exhausting, really. 

Elsa notices her breathing becoming deeper and slower, but her bath safe haven is too warm and too relaxing to bother getting up and going to her bedroom. 

_Kristoff said to relax, so…maybe just a nap,_ she thinks as her eyes flutter shut. 

_“Elsa…”_  

_Elsa turns in every direction. Someone is calling her._

_That voice. Gods, it’s like velvet caressing her._

_“Elsa…”_

_Elsa looks up when she hears the voice again, realizing the angelic sound is coming from above._

_“How…?” she starts, but when her eyes meet teal ones, she stops. She’s lost her breath, let alone her ability to speak, or even to think. The rest of existence pales in significance to simply holding her gaze with this creature—this beautiful, wonderful creature that she’s missed for far too long._

_“Elsa,” the young woman lands on her tip-toes gracefully, her wings folding behind her when she does. “You never answered my question.”_

_Elsa frowns. “I didn’t? I-“_

_“It’s okay, Elsa,” the creature says and freckles dance when the young woman’s smile appears. “I know the answer and there’s time for you to come to know it, though not much.”_

_Elsa can’t help but match the smile before she becomes puzzled. “Anna, what’s happening? Where have you been?”_

_A part of Elsa wonders how she knows the girl’s name, but another part knows the answer to that and so many other questions._

_“I’ve been here all along, my Elsa,” Anna says, a wing outstretched so that a feather holds Elsa’s cheek. “But I am the one that must ask you something once again.”_

_Elsa nods. “Anything,” she says, and means it._

_“Why did you hide from Olaf today?” Anna frowns. “He’s so dear to both of us. I think you’ve hurt his feelings.”_

_Shaking her head, Elsa tries to recollect existence beyond this dream. “I-I..” she stammers as she begins to remember her other life. “They told me he isn’t real. They told me to…ignore him.”_

_Anna’s frown deepens. “You mustn’t ignore him, Elsa. You must ask him to help you find me.”_

_“But-“_

_“Talk to Olaf,” Anna interrupts her, and places gentle hands on Elsa’s shoulders and a tender kiss to her forehead, brushing aside platinum locks. “For me.”_

_“Okay…” Elsa agrees, enchanted._

“Elsa!” 

_“Okay…”_

“World to Elsa!” 

Elsa shakes her head and nearly drowns herself doing so when she wakes from her dream, realizing Kristoff’s hands are on her shoulders, not the angels, as he shakes her a little to get her to come back to Earth. 

“You okay? You fell asleep. You’re always doing that,” Kristoff huffs. “You make my job difficult sometimes, you know that?” 

Elsa groans, not at all happy to have left such a beautiful creature to once again find herself in a world where everyone agrees she’s got a few loose bolts and screws upstairs, herself included quite frankly. 

“I’m fine, Kris. Sorry,” she says, rubbing her eyes free of water. “I’ll just head to bed. Long day.” 

“Yeah,” Kristoff nods, setting a towel down on the stand near the bathtub. “All right. Any requests for breakfast tomorrow?” 

“Uh, yeah, how about chocolate chip pancakes?” she asks, and Kristoff shakes his head knowingly. 

“Of course, I should’ve known,” he chuckles, earning a swat from the blonde. “All right well, you go get some sleep, and I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Mmkay,” mutters Elsa, still a bit drowsy. 

“Hey, don’t go falling asleep again. I’d rather not test out my CPR skills tonight,” chuckles Kristoff as he walks out the door. 

“I won’t,” calls out Elsa. 

After Kristoff leaves the bathroom, she finishes and dresses in her favorite nightgown. She lays down in bed, pulling the covers over herself, hoping as she starts to drift off that maybe, just maybe, she’ll see her angel again in her dreams. 

*****line break***** 

“Elsa! Elsa wake up! Wake up!”

Elsa shoots awake, a scream dying in her throat, only to see Kristoff’s concerned face. Then her vision blurs, and she start’s sobbing into his shoulder.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he says, immediately wrapping her into a warm embrace. “Shh, it’s all right. It was just a dream.”

Elsa’s sobbing so hard, she can’t seem to answer the big blonde. It takes a few minutes for her to calm down enough to form words.

“D-damn it,” she cries, “I h-haven’t had o-one in so l-long. I th-though it w-was o-over.”

“I know, I know,” coos Kristoff. “Just let it out.”

Eventually, all that’s left of Elsa is a sniffling mess, and Kristoff pulls back to look her in the eyes.

“You want to tell me about it?” he asks gently.

“What’s to tell?” Elsa responds softly, wiping at her face. “It’s the same one it always is.”

Kristoff nods knowingly. They both sit in silence for a few minutes as Elsa gains control of her emotions.

“Feeling better?” asks Kristoff, rubbing Elsa’s back. She nods, sniffing softly. “All right, why don’t you try to get some sleep, and I’ll wake you when breakfast is ready?”

“Breakfast?” Elsa questions, confused.

“Yeah, Els, it’s, uh, seven o’clock in the morning,” replies Kristoff.

“Oh,” says Elsa. “Well, actually, I think I’ll go ahead and get ready then.”

Kristoff nods, standing to leave.

“Kris, wait,” says Elsa, and he turns to look at her, eyebrows raised.

“Yes?”

“Um, just…thanks,” she says softly.

“No problem, Els,” he says with a smile before walking out the door. 

As soon as he’s gone, Elsa lets out a sigh. She scrubs her faces, groaning in frustration. When she finally moves to get out of bed, she feels just how exhausted she is.

_Wow, I must have been tossing and turning all night,_ she thinks as she stretches and yawns loudly. She walks over to her closet, digging through it to find her uniform. After a few minutes, she emerges from her room, fully clothed, hair braided, looking only a little worse for wear. She does smile, however, when she catches a whiff of Kristoff’s homemade pancakes.

_Thank God for small favors,_ she thinks happily. 

*****line break*****

After a hearty breakfast, and several assurances of her mental state, Elsa bids Kristoff a quick farewell before she heads off to the café. Luckily, she found that Ariel wasn’t too upset with her for leaving early the day before. If anything, she was concerned. Especially when she saw the bags under Elsa’s eyes.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” the redhead pressed again, and Elsa had to fight the eye roll she had coming.

“Yes, Ariel, I’m fine,” she said, putting on a smile. “I just didn’t sleep well is all.”

“Well, only if you’re sure,” says her boss. “I’ll be in the back if you need anything.”

“I’m sure. Thanks Ariel,” Elsa says, watching the shorter woman walk away. This time she doesn’t hold back her sarcastic huff as she starts wiping down the counters.

“Wow, she’s kind of a worry-wart, isn’t she?” she hears from behind her and she freezes.

_Crap. Not now. Anytime but now!_ Elsa turns around, and comes face to face with the one “person” she hoped she would never see again.

“So, are you just gonna stand there? Or are you gonna give me a hug?” says Olaf, holding his arms out, a smile on his face.

Elsa stares at him for a moment, still in shock at seeing him again, before she turns around and starts wiping down the counters again, this time much more enthusiastically.

_Just ignore him Elsa. That’s what Kristoff said to do._ Elsa hears a small sigh from behind her.

“Come on, Els! It’s been so long! I missed you!” presses Olaf, now suddenly standing in front of the blonde, leaning forward on the counter, causing her to jump slightly, before she goes back to ignoring him. “Please?”

_Ignore him. Ignore him. Ignore him_ she repeats over and over in her mind. She hears the boy huff in frustration, but he continues to push her.

“Elsie,” he whines. “It’s just one hug. Pretty please? With sugar on top?”

Just then a bell rings, alerting the two of them to a costumer. Elsa looks up, only to find Olaf is no longer around. She lets out a mental sigh of relief as she helps the man who just walked in. And that’s how most of her day went. Whenever she was around people, Olaf tended to disappear—not that she was complaining or anything—but the second she was alone, there he was, pestering her.

“Long time no see Els!” and “Come on, just one little hug?” and “Play with me, Elsie!”

Oh and let’s not forget her favorite: “Aren’t you happy to see me, Els?”

By closing time, she was at her wits end.

Thankfully, Olaf didn’t follow her home. But that didn’t stop her from taking her frustration out on her roommate. She stomped through the front door, ignoring her blonde friend as she headed straight to her bedroom, slamming the door shut, and burying her scream in a pillow. She didn’t come out of her room for the rest of the night, and Kristoff had the common sense not to bother her. She knew she’d have to give him and explanation sooner or later.

She chose later. 

*****line break***** 

The next morning, Elsa avoided eye contact with Kristoff as she shoveled her food down in an attempt to make the minimal amount of contact with him as possible. Kristoff didn’t say anything, probably figuring Elsa would get around to apologizing when she was ready. And she did, just before she left for work again.

“Hey, Kris,” she said softly as she made to leave. “I’m, uh, sorry about yesterday, and—”

“Don’t worry about it, blondie,” he waves her off, smiling at her attempt. “No harm, no foul.”

Elsa smiles at him, utters a soft “thanks” before rushing out of the apartment. Her good mood is ruined, however, the second she enters the empty café.

“You’re back! Yay!” claps Olaf from his perch on the counter. Elsa huffs, but gives no other indication she heard the boy. But she did. She also noticed how his face fell just a hair when she didn’t respond. But then it’s back to the goofy grin he’s constantly wearing.

The rest of the day, and week, followed the same pattern as the first one. By Friday, Elsa had just about had enough. She was frustrated. Frustrated at Olaf for reappearing. Frustrated at her medication for not working. Frustrated with herself for not being strong enough to move past this. Halfway through her shift, she broke down and asked for a small break.

“Just five minutes,” she told Ariel. “I just need a moment to…clear my head.”

Her boss was nodding before she had even finished asking. “Yeah, no problem. Break area’s out back, take as long as you need.”

“Thanks,” smiles Elsa, making her way towards the area Ariel had pointed out as she tries to ignore the worried, dopey look her boss is giving her. She walks outside, shivering when the cool November air hits her. She leans her head back against one of the walls, taking a deep breath. Then she looks left and right, making sure she’s really alone, before she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a fresh pack of cigarettes.

“Oh how I missed you,” she mutters to the package as she tears off the cellophane wrapping. She hits the box against her palm a few times, before pulling one out and placing it between her lips, simultaneously lighting it.

Just as she takes the first puff, Olaf pops out of nowhere.

“You know Kristoff hates it when you do that,” he says flatly, startling Elsa, causing her to jump and choke on her lungful of nicotine.

“Jesus Christ!” she exclaims, pounding her chest. “Don’t _do_ that!”

“Ah ha! She speaks!” says Olaf, clapping his hands together. “I was beginning to wonder!”

“Shut up,” snaps Elsa, no longer caring that she’s supposed to be ignoring him.

“So hostile,” pouts Olaf, obviously trying to hide his joy that she’s actually talking to him. “Come on, Elsie! Is it that horrible talking to me?”

“Yes,” is her curt reply as she takes another drag on her cigarette, causing Olaf to cringe.

“I thought you quit, Elsie,” he mutters, twiddling his thumbs.

“Yeah, well I thought you had gone away for good. Turns out we were both wrong,” she replies bitterly, sucking in more smoke.

“I don’t understand. We were always the best of friends. You, me, Anna, Marshmallow, Sven—”

“Who?” Elsa interrupts, feeling for some reason as if she’s seen a ghost…other than whatever Olaf is.

“Sven,” Olaf repeats with a grin. “I love that big guy! He’s always trying to steal little things from my pockets, but I don’t mind.”

“No, no…” Elsa swallows, trying like hell to get the words out. It’s as if when she heard that name… “Not Sven…”

Frowning, the kid says “Marshmallow? He ‘warmed up’” he quotes the air “to Anna and me and the rest after you asked him to, so yeah, we’re friends,” he grins again.

There it was again.

That name.

“Anna…” she whispers, sinking down to the ground, tossing the cigarette far away from her, and gripping her braid like it’s a lifeline. “Anna,” she nearly sobs.

“Hey,” Olaf approaches the woman on the ground, crouching in front of her and bending to try to make eye contact. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I don’t...I don’t know,” Elsa manages to spit out. “I just feel like…like I lost something dear to me.” She looks up at the white-haired boy, and blanches when she realizes how close he is.

“Why the hell am I even talking to you!?” she gasps, standing to head back inside. “Go away!”

“Elsa, wait!” calls out Olaf, but the blonde turns on him with rage in her eyes.

“Enough!” she says, sweeping her arm and adds “Just leave me _alone!_ ” with enough force to make the boy take a step back. The hurt look on his face would’ve made her feel bad, if she wasn’t so upset. She turns on her heel and walks back in the building, nearly slamming the door shut. Elsa pauses, and takes a few deep breaths to calm herself, making sure she no longer has tears in her eyes, before she heads back to complete her shift.

She doesn't see Olaf for the rest of the day.

*****line break***** 

“Kristoff!” growls Elsa as she storms through the front door. “Kristoff, where the hell are you!?”

“Whoa, whoa, what’s with the anger, Els? I’m right here,” he walks out from the kitchen, looking somewhat startled.

“It’s not working!” she exclaims, pushing past the older man to dig through the freezer for her favorite chocolate ice cream.

“What’s not working? Your job?” asks Kristoff, rubbing the back of his head in confusion.

“Ignoring him. It’s not working,” snarls Elsa as she wrestles open the lid, not bothering with a bowl as she digs in. “He’s still fucking there.”

“All right, all right, there’s no need to use that language, Elsa,” says Kristoff, using his therapist voice as he walks over to the blonde, which only serves to piss Elsa off more.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m some child, Kristoff,” she growls dangerously. “You _know_ I hate that.”

“Okay, why don’t we just calm down and talk about—why do you smell like a cigarette?” he asks, his voice changing from calm to chastising.

Elsa cringes slightly at his sudden change in tone. He crosses his arms, looking at her like he just caught her with her hand in the cookie jar. _Shit, I knew I shouldn’t’ve had that second one on the way home._

“Elsa?” he presses, sounding more like her father than she cares to admit.

“I, uh, bought a pack,” she mumbles into her pint of ice cream.

“Elsa, how many times do I have to tell you that smoking is bad for you?” groans Kristoff, pinching the bridge of is nose. “You don’t even know how it’ll interact with your medication!”

“It didn’t do anything,” huffs Elsa, crossing her arms like a petulant five-year-old.

“That’s not the point, Elsa,” deadpans Kristoff.

“Oh? Then what is?” she says, raising her voice as her anger gets the best of her.

“The point is you broke the one rule I specifically asked you to follow!” bellows Kristoff.

“I…You…Ugh!” stammers Elsa in frustration. “Well you know what, maybe if you did your _job_ and helped me get rid of Olaf, I wouldn’t feel the need to smoke!”

“Don’t try and change the subject. You know you’re not supposed to do it, and you did it anyways,” responds Kristoff sternly.

Elsa glares at him, and man if looks could kill, she guesses this one would. She hates being treated like she’s a child who needs everyone to hold her had. She’s twenty-one for Christ’s sake! But the older boy, being used to such stares, doesn’t flinch. In fact, he glares just as hard back, before taking a deep breath.

“Look,” he says firmly, “we aren’t going to get anywhere by yelling at each other. You’re obviously stressed out, and I’m not making it any better, so let’s just take a moment to calm down, and you can tell me what the problem is, okay?”

Elsa grumbles, but ultimately agrees, knowing Kristoff is right. After a few minutes of staring off into space angrily, the two of them finally mellow out enough to sit on the couch civilly.

“All right,” says Kristoff after a moment. “What happened today?” 

Elsa sighs, feeling all of her anger and frustration suddenly dispel as she looks at her roommate. “It…it wasn’t just today, Kris. It was this whole week. I mean, every time I’m alone, there’s Olaf, talking my ear off. And I’ve tried ignoring him, Kristoff, really I have, but it’s so _hard_. He was my best friend for years, and now…now it just hurts to see him, because he reminds me of that _place,_ and he won’t leave me alone, and I just…I can’t anymore, Kris. I thought I’d seen the last of him three years ago but, I guess that was just too good to be true.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” he says gently as tears pool in her eyes. “We’re not giving up yet, Elsa. Not a chance. You hear me? I’m not giving up on you, so you don’t get to give up on yourself, understand?”

Elsa nods, afraid that if she talks, she’ll break down.

“Good. So are you ready to hear what I’m about to suggest?” says Kristoff, and Elsa nods again.

Kristoff pauses for a moment, before continuing. “I want you to quit your job.”

Elsa’s head snaps up so fast, her neck snaps.

“What?” she hisses.

“Hear me out,” Kristoff says, patting the air gently.

Elsa narrows her eyes, but motions for him to continue.

“You began to see Olaf at the café, correct?”

Elsa nods slowly.

“And that’s the only place you ever see him? I mean, recently?”

Another nod.

“Then it stands to reason that you shouldn’t continue to go there,” finishes Kristoff. “I know how much having this job means to you Els, really I do. But it’s hard to do _my_ job, if when you come home every day you’re an emotional mess.”

Elsa looks at her hands. She doesn’t want to admit it, but Kristoff is probably right. She was doing just fine until she started working there. It’s not like she needs the money after all. She’s got enough money from her parent’s to live comfortably for the next several decades. But it was never about that. It was about getting out and meeting people—not being cooped up all the time. It was about spreading her wings.

“You know I’m right, Elsa,” presses Kristoff, and she sighs.

“Do I have to?” she pleads softly, already knowing the answer.

A look from her roommate confirms it.

“Look, it’s not like I’m stopping you from going out, Elsa,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair, “but I’m going to have to put my foot down on this. I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” Elsa says softly, still looking at her hands.

It’s not that she’s overly fond of being a waitress, but she did enjoy being like everyone else for a change. She enjoyed being normal. And Olaf had to come back and ruin it all.

She hears Kristoff sigh again. “Els, I also want to look into changing up your medication. These one’s don’t seem to be doing the trick anymore. Tomorrow we’re going to need to head down to the hospital so we can run some tests to see which ones are an option.”

Elsa nods, but says nothing.

“I’m really am sorry—”

“Don’t, Kris,” the blonde cuts him off, standing abruptly. “I get it. You’re just doing your job.”  

“Come on, Els. Don’t be like that,” says Kristoff, but she ignores him, walking straight past him to her room, and closing the door without another word.  

“Shit,” she hears him curse, just as the lock clicks.

Elsa leans back on the door, and slides to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. Why? Why her? Why now? She was doing so well. She had made it out of that god-forsaken hell hole, found a job, a place to live (even if she still had to live with her therapist), so where had she gone wrong?

She wipes away the stray tear that rolls down her cheek, and rests her head on her knees. She doesn’t know what to do. What if quitting doesn’t work? Or the new medication? What if she has to go back?

_No,_ she thinks, mentally shaking her head. _No, I’m never going back._

Elsa doesn’t move from her spot on the floor as she feels herself start to drift off, one thought on her mind.

_What am I gonna to do?_


	3. Three

*****line break*****

Fall from Grace 

Chapter three

 _I hate needles_ , Elsa scrunches her nose as the doctor inserts the syringe into the crook of her arm, squeezing Kristoff’s hand like her life depends on it. She watches for a moment as the small tube fills with her blood, before looking away in disgust.

 _Why do I always look?_ she asks herself mentally as a wave of nausea hits her. After a moment, the doctor removes the tube only to replace it with another. Elsa tries to think of anything else while he continues to take blood samples. You’d think that after thirteen years of this, she’d be used to it.

Two more vials later, the doctor finally removes the accursed thing from her arm, before pressing a cotton ball over the tiny hole. Elsa bends her elbow, keeping the ball in place, as the doctor cleans up.

“All right, Miss Arendelle,” he says, a little too cheerily for Elsa’s taste. “We’re just about done here. Let me run these down to the lab for you, and we should have the results by next week. I just need you to fill out a few forms, and then you’re free to go.”  

Elsa nods, taking the clip board from him as he gather’s her blood, and leaves the room.

Kristoff shifts then clears his throat. “So…not so bad, right? Routine, right?”

Elsa is clutching her stomach and turns her head to fix him with an icy glare.

“I’ll take that as a ‘shut up’,” Kristoff chuckles nervously. “It really is for the best, though Elsa.”

Elsa continues glaring. She’s only heard that line a million times before.

“Um…how about we go to that chocolate shop down the street when we’re done with the paperwork?” Kristoff suggests.

Elsa purses her lips to the side while she considers the offer. It’s funny—no matter how upset her stomach is, chocolate has never bothered it. If anything, it makes her feel better.

“Okay,” she agrees.

Kristoff grins. “Great! I love Oaken’s hot chocolate!” he says, clapping his hands together. “Even if he doesn’t like me,” he grumbles.

“You tried haggling with him over a truffle, Kristoff,” Elsa rolls her eyes and checks her arm where the blood had been drawn, finding that the bleeding has stopped. She juts her chin toward the small gauze pad and medical tape that the doctor had left for them and Kristoff takes her cue to fetch it.

“Well,” he starts as he bandages her up, “come on! $5.00 for a truffle? For one little bite of chocolate?”

“It was handmade by Oaken’s kids,” Elsa repeats this side of this same conversation they’ve had every time they go to Oaken’s. “I’m surprised he sold them at all and didn’t build a shrine to them instead. I don’t know what you were thinking trying to haggle something his family had made.”

“Ya!” Kristoff puts on Oaken’s accent. “Ze faaamelee!”

Elsa snickers despite herself, swatting him, but he’s managed to make her feel better.

“You ready?” he chuckles, and she nods, allowing him to help her up.

After dropping off the paperwork, the two head over to see the chocolatier, joking and laughing the whole way. Despite being upset at the blonde for making her quit her job, and for throwing away her pack of cigarettes early that morning (Hey, those were expensive!), she couldn’t deny the fact that she enjoyed his company. After all, he was her best friend, even if he was her therapist.

They finally reach Oaken’s, Elsa’s mouth beginning to water immediately upon entering the shop. It only takes her a few seconds before she’s acquired a rather hefty pile of treats, as Kristoff shakes his head, laughing at her. She shushes him with a playful glare as she starts to pay Oaken for her chocolates.

“Yoo-hoo, Elsa!” the large man greets her happily. “It’s been too long, ya?”

“Way too long, Oaken,” she smiles, pulling out her wallet, and handing him several bills. “How have you been?”

“Good! Just got back from vacation with ze famelee,” he says, giving Kristoff a glare when he starts snickering, then coughing to cover it up.

“That sounds great, Oaken,” Elsa says, also trying to cover up her giggles with much more success.

Oaken smiles at her as he packages up her chocolate, and hands her the change.

“Thanks, Oaken!” she says cheerily, walking over to Kristoff.

“Not a problem, Elsa,” he grins as another costumer comes in. She looks up, seeing the man who just walked in, and tries to hold back a snicker at his appearance. Kristoff elbows her, obviously finding him amusing as well.

“Nice sideburns, bro,” he whispers sarcastically in her ear, and it takes all her willpower to not burst out laughing as she cups a hand over her mouth.

The man, noticing the two of them, gives them a hard glare as he struts into the shop.

 “Yoo-hoo! Welcome to Oaken’s Chocolate Shop and Gelato!”

“Yeah, yeah, look,” says the newcomer rudely, earning a glare from the two blondes. “I’m looking for a…friend of mine. She’s supposed to meet me here.”

Oaken gives him a confused look. “And who vould that be?”

At this point, Elsa tunes out of the conversation, too entranced by the _delicious_ truffle she’s just consumed.

 _$5.00 is_ so _totally worth it_ , she thinks with a grin as she pops another one into her mouth. Just as she’s about to have another, she catches part of the stranger’s description of his so-called “friend.”

“…red hair…pigtails… _lots_ of freckles…”

Elsa freezes as the stranger continues.

“She’s really, _really_ upbeat? Like _all_ the time?” he presses, but Oaken only shakes his head.

“I’m very suary, Sir,” he says, “Vut I don’t know anyvone that fits that description.”

The man groans, running a hand down his face in frustration, before storming out the door without another word.

“Rude much?” says Kristoff, scowling after him. Elsa, still somewhat dazed, doesn’t respond as she has an internal battle with herself.

_No, it couldn’t be. But she fits his description to a T. No. No it can’t be. It was just a dream. There’s no way. Or is there? No. Stop that. It’s not possible and you know it…Or is it? Ugh, this, Elsa. This is why people think you’re crazy._

Unbeknownst to her, Kristoff was watching as she struggled with herself.

“Hey Els?” he says putting a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

“Huh?” she says, startled out of her thoughts. “Oh, um, yeah I’m fine.”

Kristoff narrows his eye, clearly not buying it.

“Really,” she assures him, giving him a smile. “Come on, let’s go home. I need to wash the hospital smell off of me.”

With that, Elsa walked past Kristoff and out the door before he could say a word. The blond shakes his head, but follows close behind.

*****line break*****

“Ugh,” groans Elsa, her head planted firmly on the counter as she waits for Kristoff to finish her French toast.

“It’s not that bad, Els. Just relax,” responds her roommate, handing her a plate.

“Not that bad? Kris, I have to quit my job today,” she snaps. “I never quit. And to make things worse, I’ve barely worked there a week!”

“Them’s the breaks, Kid,” he says. “Sorry. “

“I know,” Elsa sighs. “All right…guess I’ll go face the music. Ariel’s gonna be disappointed. She needs all the staff she can get.”

“Them’s the—” Kristoff starts.

“Breaks,” she huffs. “I know.”

“Hey, don’t get a snippy with me, young lady,” Kristoff jokes, laughing when Elsa shoots him a glare.

“Not funny,” she mumbles as she digs into her breakfast.

She quickly finishes, dresses, and is out the door before she can think about what she’s actually about to do. She sighs, and begins walking towards the café, taking her time so she can think about what she’s going to tell Ariel.

 _I’ll just tell her…um, I’ll tell her…crap, what the hell am I supposed to tell her?!_ Elsa groans, running a hand through her hair as she pulls her coat tighter against the cold.

Before she knows it, she’s stepping through the café doors, the familiar chime of the bell announcing her presence.

Ariel’s already hard at work, getting the place ready for customers, and humming a tune.

“Hi there, Elsa!” Ariel waves with a washcloth in the air to greet her.

“Um, hi,” Elsa returns the greeting meekly.

“Go ahead and start counting the cash wrap,” she instructs, and continues her work.

Elsa almost thinks about it. She could give Ariel one more day of work—after all, she’ll be short-staffed today if she springs that she’s quitting on her.

The blonde sighs. _No, I need to get this over with. Kristoff made me promise._

Elsa approaches Ariel, and waits until she notices her, too awkward to interrupt.

“Elsa?” Ariel stands, placing a hand on her hip. “Everything okay?

“Um…” Elsa looks down, kicking the dirt that’s not at her feet. “Not exactly.”

“Well what is it?” she hears Ariel ask.

Elsa sighs and looks back up. “You know I’ve had…problems?”

Ariel nods, her brows furrowed with worry. “Yes, Kristoff explained things to me when you were hired and I assured him I had the utmost faith.”

 _Ouch_ , Elsa thinks. _Ill-placed, apparently._

“Elsa?” Ariel asks.

“I’m afraid it’s not working out, Ariel,” Elsa admits, biting the bullet.

“I see…” Ariel still looks concerned. “Are you sure? Are there better hours that I could give you? You’re an excellent worker; I’d hate to lose you.

“Thank you, but no,” Elsa shakes her head sadly. “Kristoff thinks this is for the best and I don’t want to, but I agree with him. I’m sorry.”

“Um, well okay, I guess,” Ariel responds, “Just, uh, turn in your uniform by the end of the week, and…whatever problems you’re having I hope you find a way to get through them. The café will still be here if you figure things out.”

“Okay,” sighs the blonde. “And, uh, thanks for being so understanding.”

Ariel smiles at her. “Of course. Despite the fact that this leaves me short staffed,” Elsa cringes a bit, “it was really nice to meet you.”

Elsa smiles back. “It was nice to meet you too, Ariel. I, uh, I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Definitely,” the redhead grins.

Elsa gives a final farewell, before walking out of the café feeling somewhat lighter than she had been going in. That is, until she heard the voice of a certain someone she hoped she had seen the last of.

“Aw, Els! Why’d you quit? I really liked that place!” says Olaf, appearing in front of her suddenly.

Elsa jumps, her hands coming up to cover her squeak. She closes her eyes, and lets out a breath, calming her nerves, before walking past the boy as if he wasn’t there. Olaf lets out a frustrated sigh, following the blonde.

“Look, Els, I’m not going away that easily, so can you stop ignoring me? It’s really starting to hurt my feelings,” he says, easily matching her stride as she picks up her pace.

Elsa takes another deep breath, clutching her bag as if her life depends on it.

 _Don’t talk to him. Don’t even acknowledge him. He’ll go away eventually,_ she thinks to herself as Olaf continues to pester her. In a desperate attempt to escape the apparition, Elsa turns onto the busiest street she can find, hoping Olaf will disappear like usual when she’s around other people.

But to her dismay, he doesn’t.

“Sorry Els,” he says when he sees what she’s trying to do. “It’s not gonna be that easy to get rid of me anymore. Not until you talk to me.

Elsa only continues to ignore him, hoping— _praying_ —that he’ll leave her alone if she doesn’t answer. She walks directly into the flow of people, several shoulders immediately shoving her this way and that. Olaf only moves in front of her, walking backwards as people walk right through him. It’s actually quite disorienting.

“Come on, Els. Talk to me,” he presses, his usual smile missing from his face, making him look older and more mature than she had originally thought. “You know I’m not going to leave you alone until you do.”

  _Just ignore him, Elsa. What was it papa told you? Conceal, don’t feel? Come on, Elsa. Conceal. Conceal. Conceal!_

“Elsa, come on! You’re being ridiculous. We both know I’m not just some apparition you can will away,” the boy continues, still walking directly in front of her.

 “WHAT OLAF!” Elsa explodes, no longer able to take it. Several people to glance at her with odd looks as they pass by.

Olaf gives her his biggest smile yet, showing off his perfect teeth.

“There you are,” he coos then disappears.

Before Elsa has time to react, something runs into her.

She’s knocked backwards, landing on her rear, her handbag’s contents going everywhere.

“Oof!” she says, rubbing the area that now smarts. “Ow.”

“Oh my God, I’m soooo sorrrrryyy!” someone starts apologizing and picking all of her things up. “Are you okay?”

Elsa looks up at the person to respond then freezes.

 _No,_ she thinks in horror. _It’s only ever been Olaf. How…How….?_

“Are you all right?” the girl asks again.

Elsa faints on the spot.

***line break ***

Elsa wakes to the smell of butterscotch and chocolate. She holds her head, a dull ache present, before she opens her eyes. She frowns when she does. _Where am I?_

She’s in a small, but trendy apartment, decorated heavily for the winter season in snowflakes. _Did they leave their Christmas stuff up?_

Lifting herself onto her elbows from the softest couch she’s ever slept on, she peers into the kitchen.

She gulps.

Strawberry hair in two braids, the curve of her shoulders.

 _So that really did happen. It’s really her,_ she thinks and groans.

The sound alerts the girl to her presence and she immediately spins around. “You’re awake! I was so worried!”

Elsa frowns, wondering why the girl would take her back to her apartment rather than call an ambulance or something, before she remembers that the girl isn’t real. Before she can ask any further questions that come to mind, she’s handed a mug of dark sludge.

“Drink some hot cocoa. It’ll make you feel better,” the girl insists.

Elsa’s brow quirks. _This is hot chocolate? Is there even milk? Not that I’m complaining._

A laugh more angelic and pure than anything she’s ever heard makes her head snap up to regard the girl.

“I’m sorry. I made it assuming we have similar tastes in chocolate. I pretty much made hot chocolate by making chocolate hot. There’s probably a quarter cup of milk in there and the rest is this wonderful mix that I get at a place called Oaken’s. I’m not sure if you’ve ever been, but if you haven’t you really should! It’s amazing! But don’t haggle. He hates haggling,” the girl finishes.

A tint of pink paints the girl’s cheeks, and she begins stroking one of her braids. “Sorry,” she grimaces a little, but smiles too. “I tend to ramble. Am I rambling? I guess so, because I’m still talking. How’s the hot chocolate?”

Elsa swallows, trying to follow along, and realizes that last bit was a question. She looks down at the chocolate in her hand and takes a sip (or rather a thick swallow) of the stuff and closes her eyes to savor the most delicious hot chocolate she’s ever had. Probably  because it’s about five-thousand percent chocolate, one millionth percent milk.

She looks up to see teal eyes glittering with hope and she gives the girl a soft smile. “It could use a little more chocolate,” she teases softly.

The girl frowns in confusion before a bright grin takes to her face. “Yay! I’m glad you like it! How’re you feeling? Do you want anything else? Water?”

Elsa shakes her head gently, not wanting to encourage the dull ache still there. “Thank you, but no, I’m fine. Do you have my bag? I should probably check my phone.”

“Oh!” the girl performs a face-palm. “Of course! I’ll go get it. You stay, and enjoy the chocolate.” 

Elsa hums as she ponders her situation. As far as apparitions go, she thinks she prefers this one to the stubby little boy that normally taunts her mind. With this creature, she gets hot chocolate, treated like a queen, and frankly, this hallucination makes her wonder if it’s all that bad to be crazy. _I mean_ , she thinks with a smirk _, she’s downright sexy._ She takes a sip of her chocolate and lets out a content sigh. _I could get used to this._

The girl returns with her bag. Elsa thanks her and digs for her phone, finding eight text messages from Kristoff. She sighs, opening the conversation.

**_Kris:_ Hey, how’d it go? **

**_Kris:_ Elsa, where are you? **

**_Kris:_ Elsssssssssssaaaaaaaaaaaa**

**_Kris:_ I went by the café and Ariel said you left a couple hours ago. You need a ride or anything? Need some space? **

**_Kris:_ Elsa, seriously, I know it must’ve been hard, but you could at least let me know where you are. I’m responsible for you remember? I just need to know you’re okay.**

**_Kris:_ I’ll give you another hour. **

**_Kris:_ Els, I’m getting worried here. **

**_Kris:_ Okaaaay…**

**_Kris:_ If I don’t hear from you by noon, I’ll have to take drastic measures. I’ll call Punz. Don’t make me do it.**

The texts almost make her laugh as she responds to let him know what happened. “Um,” she begins when she realizes she doesn’t know where she is for him to come pick her up. “My friend was going to come give me a ride home. Where exactly am I?” she chuckles nervously.

The girl’s eyes widen as if she suddenly remembers something. “Oh no! I didn’t even introduce myself, and then I ran into you, and you woke up in a strange apartment, not having a clue if I’m a psycho or something. Ugggghhh! Way to be, Anna!” she reprimands herself and huffs air out toward her bangs. 

Elsa does her best to remain calm. _So it is her_. _Same name and everything. Why is she acting differently than in my dreams?_

“Heh,” Anna laughs and continues to stroke one of her braids in awkwardness. “So I guess I just introduced myself. I’m Anna.”

“Elsa,” the blonde responds with a smile, offering her hand for a shake in greeting.

Their hands touch and Elsa stiffens. It’s as if she’s held this hand before, and now that they have once again, it feels as if her hand is magnetically pulled to the other girl’s. Her hand almost aches from the feeling of warmth and familiarity.

Anna quickly pulls her hand away. “Here, if you give me your phone, I’ll send the address.”

Elsa nods, and hands her the phone, even smirking a bit that she’ll get to tell Kristoff that he texted with one of her hallucinations. Now that she’s full-on crazy, she might as well just enjoy the ride and laugh at it.

Anna types in her address, then hands the phone back to Elsa, before sitting on the other side of the couch.

“So, chm,” she says nervously, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “H-how’s your head? You, uh, you hit it pretty hard when you um…yeah.”

“Oh,” says Elsa, reaching up to test the knot she now feels on the back of her head. “It’s fine. I mean, a little sore, but nothing life-threating.”

“Good,” Anna smiles, and then she frowns slightly. “I mean, not good that you hurt your head. Good that it’s okay. I would never think someone getting hurt was good, and...wow this is awkward. N-not that you’re awkward. I’m awkward. You’re gorgeous. Wait, what?”

Elsa giggles, bringing her hand to her mouth as she watches Anna turn redder with each word. Her freckles even start to blend in with her blush.

“Why thank you,” she chuckles, causing Anna to blush again. For some reason, she really enjoys watching the strawberry-blonde get flustered.

 _Hey, I’m already crazy, might as well enjoy it while I can,_ she reminds herself while Anna sputters out a soft apology. _Gods, she’s cute._

The two fall into a comfortable silence, Elsa sipping her chocolate and Anna playing with her braids. Elsa watches the girl from the corner of her eye. She keeps sneaking peaks at the blonde, looking as if she wants to say something. After a few minutes, Anna finally turns to Elsa, opening her mouth, but is interrupted by a knock at the door.

The redhead squeaks in surprise, and then jumps up. “T-that must be your friend,” she say shakily, walking over to the door.

She opens it, revealing a very flustered, very _angry_ Kristoff. The tall blonde barrels through the door, ignoring the small girl, walking right over to Elsa.

“Hey!” exclaims Anna indignantly.

“Elsa, are you all right?” he says kneeling in front of her, looking her over for injuries. “What happened?”

Anna walks into the living room, her arms crossed, a scowl on her face.

“I’m fine, Kris,” says Elsa, giving him a small reassuring smile. “I just hit my head. That’s all.”

“Let me see,” he insists, and she sighs, turning her head so he can inspect the bump.

After a few seconds he pulls away, looking more relieved.

“It doesn’t look too bad,” he concedes. “But Elsa, you really need to be more careful. I had no idea where you were, and you’ve been gone for hours. Do you know how worried I was?”

“I’m sorry, Kristoff,” Elsa says. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

The man sighs, running a hand over his face. “I know you didn’t Els. Look, let’s just get you home, and we can talk about it there, okay?”

Elsa nods her head in agreement, setting down her mug, before allowing Kristoff to help her stand. 

Then he turns to Anna. 

“Hey, sorry about, you know, just barging in like that, but I was really worried about my friend here, and I just wanted to be sure she was okay,” he says to her, and Elsa’s eyes nearly pop out of her head.

Kristoff is talking to Anna. Which means he can see her. Which means she’s not a hallucination. Which can only mean one thing.

Anna is real.


	4. Four

Fall from Grace

 

Chapter 4

_Anna’s real. Anna’s real, and she’s talking to Kristoff, having a full on conversation. And he’s answering her. Because she’s real._ Elsa panics inwardly. She can’t seem to wrap her head around it. Sure it was easy to assume the redhead was just one of her delusions and write off that she’d been dreaming about her before ‘meeting’ her, but the fact that Anna was a living, breathing human being that someone else could see? It was too much for the blonde.

The two continue conversing, but Elsa can no longer hear what they’re saying. She clutches desperately to the hem of her shirt with sweaty hands as she tries to rationalize what’s going on.

_She can’t be real. This is just another dream. I’m at home, and Kristoff is about to wake me up_ , she tries to tell herself. _I’ll just pinch my arm, and I’ll wake up._

She reaches up, and roughly grabs a slab of skin between her forefinger and thumb, squeezing it hard enough to make her eyes water. Nothing happens. She’s still in Anna’s apartment, and Kristoff is still talking to her. Because Anna’s still real.

Breathing becomes difficult. No matter how many time she tries to inhale a lung-full of air, it isn’t enough. Her breath is too shallow, too quick. She feels everything within her tense, anxiety filling her until she’s convinced it’ll burst out of her, spill over at any moment.

Elsa sits back down on the couch. She clutches the edge of it, her knuckles pale and she stares at the wood flooring, unblinking. She begins to rock herself, unsure what else to do. The anxiety and panic isn’t going away. It just keeps coming wave after wave after wave.

Elsa brings her hands to her chest in an attempt to comfort herself, curling her fingers into her shirt to grasp at it, to grasp at anything, to make it all stop. She still can’t breathe. Bending at the waist, she holds her head in her arms, still rocking herself forward and back.

_Make it stop. Make it stop. MAKE. IT. STOP!_

“Elsa…?” she hears Kristoff question her, and realizes he’s knelt in front of her. “Are you okay?” he asks.

Elsa merely shakes her head, still holding it in her arms, and refusing to look up.

“Um…” Kristoff says. “Could we have a moment alone? I’m sorry—I know this is your apartment and everything…”

“Of course,” Anna says worriedly. “Anything you need.”

Elsa hears a door close and peeks at Kristoff between her arms.

“Okay, Els,” Kristoff peels her out of her arm-cocoon, taking her hands in his strong ones, and making eye contact. “This looks like one of your panic attacks. What have I always told you? What do humans need? They need air. They need oxygen. Breathe deep for me. Lonnnng deeeep breaths. Come on.”

Elsa follows his instructions, taking in a long breath before releasing it.

Kristoff breathes in and out with her. “Good, Els. Keep going.”

A few minutes later, Elsa can at least function. “Can we...” she begins. “Can we get out of here? Can we go home?”

Kristoff nods, rubbing her shoulder in comfort before he stands to retrieve her coat from a coatrack at the front entry of the apartment. He steps out into hallway for a moment to let Anna know she can come back in.

Elsa keeps her gaze trained on the floor as Kristoff helps her into her coat, both embarrassed and afraid of what’ll happen if she sees the woman’s face again. 

“Here,” Elsa hears a soft voice nearly whisper. She looks down to see a card slip into her coat pocket and a small hand pat the pocket closed. “It has my number on it. Let me buy you hot chocolate sometime when you’re feeling better.

Elsa refuses eye-contact even when Kristoff clears his throat awkwardly. He takes her shoulders to direct her out of the apartment as Elsa continues to stare blankly down. “Thanks, Anna. We really appreciate all your help, right Els?” he asks, as if she’s a child.

Elsa nods dumbly, intent on simply leaving this place. She wants to be home, in her room, under her blankets. Safe.

The two of them leave the apartment, and make their way to Kristoff’s car. As Elsa buckles up, she feels Kristoff elbow her gently.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” he asks her.

“Tired,” she responds truthfully.

“Understandable,” Kristoff responds as he starts the car and begins driving. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Elsa shakes her head, her eyes never leaving her hands. “Not right now. I just…I just want to go home.”

“All right,” the blonde man agrees.

The two of them drive in silence, except for the soft tunes coming from the radio and Kristoff’s out-of-tune humming. Every few minutes he looks over at Elsa, and she can practically feel the concern flowing out of him.

After a few minutes, Kristoff breaks the silence. “Soooo…” he says, elongating the word. “Tell me something Els.”

Elsa hums in response, not really feeling up to talking, but knowing she’s going to have to humor her friend. 

Kristoff stops at a red light, and looks at her.  “How the hell do you always manage to get the hot chick’s number?”

“Kristoff!” Elsa shrieks, completely mortified as she turns cherry red. 

“I mean, first you nearly knock her over,” he continues, a small smirk being the only sign that he’d heard her. “Then you pass out on her, then you have a panic attack in her living room, and she _still_ gave you her number. Seriously Els, how do you do it?”

Elsa mumbles.

“What?” Kristoff asks, frowning.

“I said ‘the light is green’,” Elsa huffs.

Kristoff smirks again. “You gotta admit, she’s cute,” he continues to egg her on.

Elsa hums in agreement, a half-smile gracing her lips and her eyes become lidded. Then she remembers why she’d just had a panic attack. _How is this possible?_

“You okay, Els?” Kristoff brings her back to Earth.

Elsa sighs. “I-I don’t know, Kris. Sometimes I think I’m a lost cause. Why do you bother? Why would she be interested?” she asks him with a chuckle, only half-joking.

The car slows to a stop as Kristoff pulls over. He turns in his seat. “Just because you were given a few tough blows in life that have taken their toll doesn’t mean you aren’t amazing, Els. You’re my best friend for a reason. You’re fun, fun _ny_ , caring, talented, determined, and I could go on, but I think you know that you have plenty to offer anyone. Including…”he smirks “cute redheads.”

Elsa gives him another half-smile and mumbles her thanks.

Kristoff nods and continues the drive home, but Elsa hardly notices. All she can think about is Anna. Why had she dreamt about her before meeting her? She chuckles under her breath, thinking _she’s the girl of my dreams._

“What?” Kristoff asks.

Elsa ponders how to go about this. He needs to know what’s going on, why she had that little episode. “Kristoff…have you ever dreamed about someone before you’d even met them?

“Like a deja-vu type of thing?” he asks.

“No, like an I-dreamt-about-Anna-before-I-met-her-today type of thing,” she spits out.

She watches Kristoff frown. “You probably just saw her walking down the street one day, thought to yourself _damn, I’d hit that_ , and then you had a dream about her after you’d forgotten her.”

Elsa tilts her head askance to narrow her eyes on him. “’Damn, I’d hit that?”

Kristoff laughs. “Oh come on. She’s totally your type.”

“What do you know about my type?” Elsa rolls her eyes.

“Um…you were in love with Nurse Crystal when you were ten,” he deadpans.

“I was not!” Elsa yells defensively, leaning against her side of the car.

Kristoff is laughing so hard, he wipes a tear from his eyes. “You were too. You used to stay behind to help her put everything away after every group therapy session, and whenever she brought you a lollipop you’d turn roughly the shade of beet red you are now.”

“Shut up,” Elsa laughs finally.

“Anyway,” Kristoff laughs with her. “She had strawberry blonde hair, remember? And beautiful green eyes?”

“Who had the crush?” Elsa teases.

“Shut up,” Kristoff smirks.

Elsa hums a chuckle and sighs contentedly, feeling better. “You really think I probably just remembered her from elsewhere? That that’s why I dreamt about her?”

Kristoff nods. “That’s my guess. What’s the alternative?

_That I’m crazier than even I thought_ , Elsa gulps.

*****line break***** 

“So are you gonna call her?”

Elsa groans, letting her head drop to the table. She had already lost count of how many times Kristoff had asked her the past week.

“Would you just drop it?” she pleads.

“Not until you call her,” retorts Kristoff as he hands her a sandwich and several pills. “She’s probably waiting by her phone right now.”

“Really, Kris?” Elsa deadpans. “What could possibly make you think that?”

“The fact that you’re one foxy mama,” he says without missing a beat, all while waggling his eyebrows at her.

At this, Elsa can’t help but bust up laughing.

“Oh my God, what is _wrong_ with you?” she howls, swatting at him as she tries to catch her breath.

She takes a moment to compose herself, before digging into her lunch.

“Seriously, Els,” Kristoff says as he digs into his own, sitting across their small dining room table. “It could be good for you.”

Elsa raises a skeptical brow and smirks. “Is that your professional opinion?”

Kristoff chews a huge piece off of his sandwich. “I learned it when I was getting my masters in psychology: the best way to treat foxy mamas? Another foxy mama.”  
  
Elsa narrows her eyes on him. “Ew." 

He merely grins at her. “Look, you like her, right?”

Elsa crosses her arms as she looks out the bay window. “Maybe.”

“You like the idea of seeing her again?”

“Maybe.”

“Spending some time with her?”

“Maybe.”

“And you like hot chocolate?”

“Maybe.”

Kristoff’s expression becomes flat and unamused. “What were the words you spoke to me this morning?”

Elsa looks away guiltily, her eyes darting. “Um…I don’t remember.”

“I believe,” he says, reaching to steal her apple before she swats him away. He pouts before he continues. “I believe you said ‘Kristoff, if you make me hot chocolate to have with breakfast this morning, I will personally see to it that somewhere, someone erects a statue in your honor.”

He chews on his last bite of sandwich, pushing his plate away. “And after I was done laughing because you said the word ‘erect’, I made you a hot chocolate and you engulfed it like it was elixir.”

Elsa rolls her eyes. “What’s your point?”

“My point is that,” he looks at her knowingly. “That last ‘maybe’ wasn’t the only ‘maybe’ that meant ‘yes’.”

He stands, clearing their plates and Elsa’s left to her thoughts. Maybe Kristoff was right. Maybe she should call her. But…but what if she freaked out again. After all, it was embarrassing enough the first time, and she really didn’t want to have to explain herself.

Elsa sighs. She really did want to call Anna. She was just…afraid.

“Just do it,” she hears from her right, and she nearly jumps out of her skin.

Olaf laughs at her reaction before moving to sit on the table in front of her. Elsa closes her eyes for a second and takes a moment to catch her breath. Unfortunately, Olaf had been popping up more and more recently, and she was really getting fed up with him. When she opens her eyes again, she glares at the man-child in front of her.

“What?” he asks innocently. “You know you want to. Besides, she’s real pretty.”

Elsa looks left and right, checking to make sure Kristoff is out of ear shot, before whispering harshly between clenched teeth “Go. Away.”

Olaf’s face falls for a moment, before lighting up again. “Hey! You’re talking to me again!”

Elsa groans, standing and walking away from him. She _so_ did not need this right now.

“You can run, but you can’t hide!” he calls out playfully, and she resists the urge to groan again.

_Why me_ , she thinks forlornly as she moves to her room, closing the door gently. She sits on her bed, and pulls out the card Anna had given her. She stares at the information, trying to gain the courage to dial the number.

After a few minutes she sighs and pulls out her phone, plugging in the digits. Just as she’s about push call, Olaf magically appears yet again.

“Found you!” he exclaims excitedly, causing her to squeak and nearly fall off the bed.

“Would you stop that!” she all but yells. Olaf only giggles.

“Sorry,” he chuckles. “Oh! Were you about to call Anna? Can I watch?”

Elsa looks at the boy incredulous.

“No!” she huffs, at her wits ends. She had long since given up on ignoring him. She knew it wouldn’t work anyways.

Olaf’s face falls. “You’re not gonna call her? Why not?” He scrambles up on the bed with her, letting his feet dangle as he peeks over her shoulder at her phone. “Hey! You said you weren’t gonna call her! That’s her number! You are!”

Elsa holds the phone up, out of his reach.

“Oh come on!” Olaf says, reaching for it. “Just press ‘call’.”

“No!” Elsa hisses.

“Just do it!” Olaf continues to try to climb her arm. Finally, he throws her off-balance and she falls back on her bed. Olaf grabs her phone and holds it up in victory. “Ha!”

_How…_ Elsa wonders. _How is he able to hold a physical object suddenly?_

She shakes her head, pushing the thought to the back of her mind. It didn’t really matter at this particular moment.

“Give that back!” Elsa stands, a hand outstretched.

Olaf giggles and punches the call button.

“Olaf, no!” Elsa shouts and finally wrenches her phone away from him.

“Hello?” a soft voice asks.

“Shit shit shit!” Elsa whispers. “Um…hello?”

“Hi,” the voice has a smile in it now. “Who is it?”

“It’s um, it’s Elsa,” Elsa says with a nervous chuckle.

“Oh!” Anna says. “Hi!”

“Uh, hi,” Elsa answers.

“How are you?” Anna asks, a lilt of laughter to her voice.

“I’m uhhh I’m good,” Elsa says, not really sure how to answer that question.

“Good? How’s your head?”

“Oh, fine, fine,” Elsa says, nodding though Anna can’t see her.

“And…” Anna starts.

“Hmm?” Elsa asks.

“How’s that ass?” Anna asks with a laugh.

Elsa’s eyes widen and she feels her cheeks burn. “Uhh….” she stammers, completely at a loss for words.

“I mean, you fell on it,” Anna laughs again. “So I thought I better ask.”

Elsa clears her throat. “Chm! Um, fine, heh. It’s fine.”

“Did you just say your ass is fine?”

Elsa’s eyes widen again and her jaw clenches in nervousness.

“You don’t have to answer that. Sorry—we barely know each other and I’m flirting like crazy,” Anna admits with a chuckle. “I’m sort of nervous you called, is all. I mean you’re gorgeous, I mean, well I already said that and you probably know that, but um, crap, I’m rambling again.”

Elsa smiles. _She’s so cute._ “So, how are you?”

Elsa hears a nearly mute chuckle. “My turn, eh? I’m well. Embarrassed, nervous, flustered, but well.”

Her ears feel like they’re on fire as Elsa considers a ‘flustered’ Anna.

Anna clears her throat. “I’m uh, really glad you called.”

Elsa twirls her braid and sits on her bed. “Me too.”

“So does this mean I get to treat you to a proper hot chocolate made by a relatively non-addict, unlike me?”

“I never got to tell you,” Elsa pauses. “I’m a chocolate-holic too. I love Oaken’s.

“You do?!” Anna practically squeals.

Elsa grins. “Yeah, I go there every…” _time I have to be tested…_ ”once and a while.”

“I practically live there,” Anna giggles.

Elsa simply smiles into the phone. _She is probably the cutest thing ever._

“Well,” Anna begins after a pause. “Do I have a date, Miss Arendelle?”

Elsa grins again and shakes her head at the woman’s shamelessness. “Yeah,” she chuckles. “You’ve got yourself a date.”

“Tonight?” Anna asks.

Elsa takes a moment to think about it, somehow knowing that she was causing the girl all sorts of anxiety by making her wait. She smiles when she hears the sound of her pacing back and forth.

“Tonight sounds good,” she finally says, holding back her laugh when she hears Anna squeal in excitement.

“Great! I’ll pick you up at seven! Oh, wait, I kinda need to know where you live, huh? Hehe, um, where would that be?” Anna chuckles nervously. “N-not that you have to tell me. I mean, we could meet somewhere or something if you’re not comfortable telling me. After all I could be some serial killer freak for all you know. N-not that I am! Cause I’m not! Really! I just…I mean…I’m rambling again...aren’t I?”

_Gods she’s so freaking cute,_ Elsa giggles to herself. She tells the redhead where to pick her up, chuckling at her enthusiasm.  The two talk for a while longer, before Anna finally has to hang up—something about a reindeer—and Elsa sighs, laying back on her bed with a smile on her face.

“So how’d it go?” Olaf asks, suddenly appearing over her, his ever present smile never wavering.

“Fine, Olaf,” Elsa responds, too happy to really be upset about the fact that she’s talking to a hallucination.

The boy goes to respond, when suddenly Elsa’s bedroom door bursts open, startling the two of them. Surprisingly, Olaf doesn’t disappear.

“What’re you doing?!” Kristoff shouts through his huge smile, obviously giving the blonde a hard time. Elsa rolls her eyes at him as she tries to still her heart. Olaf moves to the edge of the bed, sitting Indian style as he watches the two of them interact.

“That’s none of your business, Kris,” she says, standing up.

Kristoff looks at her for a moment, before a large, shit-eating grin stretches across his face.

“What?” Elsa asks, confused.

“You called her, didn’t you?” he says, waggling his eyebrows again.

Elsa’s cheeks turn a dark red, as she sputters at her roommate.

“W-wha…n-no,” she stammers, but Kristoff’s grin only widens.

“You so did! How’d it go? Are you guys going to go out?” he starts firing off questions.

Elsa smiles, her cheeks still burning.

“It went great Kris,” she says wistfully. “We’re actually going out tonight. She’s picking me up at seven.”

“That’s great, Els!” exclaims Kristoff. “So…I’m guessing you’ll be figuring out what you’re going to wear and otherwise preening and pruning today?” he teases.

Elsa’s eyes turn into saucers. “Shit! What _am_ I gonna wear?! Shit! I still have to shower! I have to shave! What time is it?!”

Kristoff quirks a brow and still wears a teasing grin. “Shave? What are _yoooouuuu_ gonna be doing tonight?”

“Ugh! Shut up!” she starts pushing him out the door. “Get out! I have to get ready!”

“Oh no! My legs always do this at the most inopportune time! They just stop working!” Kristoff feigns, letting himself go deadweight. 

“Get out!” Elsa shouts again, using all of her weight to push him out.

Kristoff laughs all the way out the door until she slam it after him.

She sighs in exhaustion, putting her back to the door, and letting herself slide down the door.

Kristoff knocks on the door and Elsa narrows her eyes. “What, Kristoff?” she asks.

She can hear Kristoff chuckle before he collects himself. “It’s gonna be great, Elsa. I’ll be out here cleaning up a bit. Let me know if you need anything.”

Elsa smiles. “Thanks.”

_Okay_ , Elsa breathe out pursed lips. _I can do this. I. Can. Do. This. So what if it’s my first date in…ever. She’s funny, and cute, and gorgeous, and…yeah, yeah Elsa you get the point. You got this in the bag, right?_

_Right?_


	5. Five

*****line break*****

 

Fall from Grace

 

Chapter 5

 

“No…Not uh…Ugh no!” Elsa grunts in frustration, throwing down another dress onto the growing pile inside her closet. She reaches for another dress, and holds it up in front of her before throwing it down as well. 

“How’s it going in there?” Kristoff asks from her bedroom.

“Terrible,” she responds. “I can’t find anything to wear! I mean, what do you even wear to get hot chocolate?”

“Uhhhh….khakis?” Kristoff suggests.

“Ugh!” Elsa shouts. “Not helping!”

“Calm down, Els. From what you’ve said, she’ll drool no matter what you come in.”

“Still not helping!” Elsa shouts back.

“All right, all right! I’ll get out of your hair,” Kristoff chuckles.

“My hair!” Elsa shrieks, now panicking over what to do about _that_.

Kristoff opens the door. “All right, that’s it.”

Elsa’s brows scrunch. “What are you doing, Kristoff? Get out.”

Kristoff marches straight to her closet.

“Kristoff?” Elsa ask again.

“You’re going to wear what you’re most confident in, so that you’re comfortable and at ease about that at least. After all this is your first date in like…ever. We wouldn’t want you to do something you’re uncomfortable with. Now,” he holds up Elsa’s favorite pair of jeans and her favorite ice-blue sweater with a subtle, almost unnoticeable snowflake pattern. “This is what you’re wearing.”

Elsa scrutinizes the outfit. It would indeed make her feel more at ease. “You don’t think I should wear a dress?”

“Maybe for another date. This is just hot chocolate—casual.”

Elsa plops on her bed, letting herself lie down with her feet still on the floor. “You think there’ll be another date?”

Kristoff plops down next to her. “She’d be crazy not to ask, Kid.”

Elsa scoffs. “Crazy, huh?” she sighs

Kristoff sits up. “It’ll be great, Els. You’ll see. Now, as far as the hair goes, I’d stick with the braid. It’s your signature.”

Elsa smiles as she looks up at the ceiling. “Since when are you so good at this girly stuff?”

Chuckling, Kristoff stands up and walks toward the door. “I’ll have a beer and grunt and watch some hockey while you’re on your date to make up for it.”

“Please,” Elsa sits up. “I’ve come in on you watching far worse.”

“Figure skating is an incredible feat of man!” Kristoff becomes defensive and shuts the door.

Elsa laughs under her breath as Kristoff leaves her to finish getting dressed. Several minutes later, she emerges, fully dressed, hair done, and some light make-up on to accent her best feature—her eyes.

Kristoff smiles when he sees her. “You look great, Els.”

The blonde blushes slightly and thanks her friend, joining him on the couch as she waits for Anna to arrive. She notices several skaters jumping across the screen, many of them wearing outfits that were just a tad bit too tight in certain places.

Elsa raises an eyebrow at the screen. “Manly, huh?”

“Shut up,” Kristoff grunts, shoving her lightly with a small smile.

The two sit and watch the screen for a few minutes before there’s a light tapping of shave and a haircut at the door.

“I got it,” Kristoff says, jumping up and walking over to the door. Elsa immediately feels her heart rate pick up and her palms begin to sweat. She looks at the clock. Seven on the dot.

_All right, Elsa. You can do this_ , she tells herself as she hears Kristoff open the door.

Anna holds a bouquet of white lilies, blocking her face. “These are for you.”

“Aww, how sweet,” Kristoff takes the bouquet to reveal Anna who becomes redder by the second.

“What? Oh no! Those are for—“

Kristoff laughs and steps aside. “For Elsa, I’m guessing. Just giving you a hard time. Come on in.”

Anna blushes an even deeper shade of red, and shuffles past the blonde murmuring a soft thank you.

Kristoff chuckles, closing the door behind her and joining the two women in the living room. The second Anna entered the apartment, Elsa was on her feet, biting her lip nervously as she said a quiet hello to the redhead.

She let her eyes glance over her date’s attire, a small smile coming to her face. Anna was wearing an emerald green turtle neck and skinny jeans with black mid-calf boots that gave her a few inches and brought her up to Elsa’s height. Her fiery red hair was done into two twin braids that fell across her shoulders.

“Ready?” she grins at Elsa.

“Woah, woah,” Kristoff says. “I kinda feel like I should ask what your intentions are with my pal Elsa here.”

“Uh uhh…” Anna stammers, her eyes wide with fear as she scratches her head.

_So cute_ , Elsa thinks, smiling at her warmly before she rolls her eyes and jabs Kristoff. “Knock it off, Kris.”

“Sorry,” Kristoff laughs. “Again, just giving you a hard time. Have a good night, guys. Don’t keep her out too late, Anna.”

“Will do!” she salutes Kristoff, making Elsa laugh.

“Thanks, Kris,” she smiles and follows Anna out the door.

*****line break***** 

Anna had held the door open for Elsa when they’d gotten into the redhead’s little red sedan, so Elsa made a point of opening the door for Anna when they got to Oaken’s.

“Why, thank you,” Anna teases as she steps through.

Elsa smiles, giving a slight curtsy to tease the girl back, making Anna laugh.

The bell announces their entry. “OAKEN!” Anna belted out, startling Elsa.

Apparently the chocolatier is used to the greeting. “Velcome, Anna!” he greets her with a broad smile. “Da usual, ya?”

“Not today, Oaken.” Anna grins at him with a wink. “I’ll take whatever this gorgeous creature wants,” she says, jutting her chin toward Elsa.

Oaken follows her gaze and his smile widens if possible. “Oh! Velcome Elsa!”

Elsa gives him a soft smile, playing with her braid. “Hi Oaken. I’ll try two of whatever’s new, three of my usual, and a hot chocolate.”

Anna’s eyes widen, but she sports an infection grin. “Double that for me, will ya Oaken?”

“Anything for you, Anna,” Oaken nods and sets to work. He peers at Elsa as he wraps a truffle. “Kristopher vill not be joining us, ya?”

Elsa smirks that Oaken always gets her roommate’s name wrong. “No, Kristoff is home.”

Surprising her, Anna sidles up close. “What’s funny?”

Elsa breathes out a short chuckle. She gives Anna a side glance with a half-smile. “Kristoff and Oaken don’t exactly see eye to eye,” she whispers through a grin. “Kristoff always tries to haggle.”

Anna purses her lips to the side and hums. “Hmmm, yeah, _probably_ not the wisest choice.”

Elsa shakes her head and chuckles, “No.”

“So I guess you guys are about as regular as me,” Anna laughs.

Elsa bites her lip when Anna presses even closer to whisper in her ear. “I’m a bit of an addict.”

Elsa gulps, hoping like crazy that her face isn’t scarlet, but she has little faith. “U-um…me too,” she said, looking up at Anna.

The redhead appears to finally realize how close they are, but doesn’t step away. She seems to be scanning Elsa’s expression, making the blonde bite her lip and gulp once more.

“Yoo hoo!” Oaken saves Elsa by recalling Anna’s attention. “Your order, Princesses.”

Anna giggles. “Thank you, good sir,” she says, taking up the order as Elsa picks up the hot chocolates. “But this young woman is no Princess,” she says, grinning at Elsa. The blonde smiles and tilts her head in question, apparently giving Anna her cue. “She’s no less than a queen.”

Oaken bellows out a laugh. “Very vell, Your Royal Majesty and Highness. Enjoy ze chocolates! Ya?”

“Ya!” Anna laughs and motions for Elsa and her to find a table.

Elsa sits down, sliding into a booth seat and is startled once again when Anna slides in right next to her.

“This okay?” Anna asks, motioning between them. “I don’t want to crowd you…er…anything."

Elsa shakes her head. “It’s fine—not crowded,” she smiles.

“Okay, then,” Anna says, and sets to work unwrapping their truffles. “Okaaaay…looks like this is one of the new ones. Wonder what it is.”

Scrunching her brows, Elsa frowns. “I forgot to ask.”

Anna smirks at her. “It’s more fun this way. What do you think this one is?” she asks, holding out a truffle.

Elsa merely blinks at the morsel. “I can’t tell,” she shrugs, giving the girl an unsure smile.

Anna quirks a brow at her then giggles. “Well try it, silly.”

Elsa’s eyes become wide with alarm as she realizes Anna is trying to feed her, but she nods. She opens her mouth and takes a small bite from the truffle Anna is holding, silently praying that she’s not as red as she feels she must be. She lets the chocolate melt in her mouth for a moment, waiting for the flavorful center to reveal itself.

“Mhmm,” she moans, closing her eyes as she finishes her treat. She loves when Oaken makes the ones with peppermint filling.

She opens her eyes, only to find a very red Anna staring at her and visibly gulping. Realizing what she must have sounded like, Elsa turns roughly the same color red, and both girls quickly look away from each other in embarrassment.

“Chm,” Anna clears her throat after a few awkward seconds. “So, I think it’s my turn.”

Elsa peeks at Anna, only to see the redhead looking at her shyly, a blush still tinting her cheeks. The blonde freezes.

_Does she really want me to—_ Anna raises her eyebrow expectantly— _Oh my God she does!_

Elsa swallows, preparing herself mentally and takes up a truffle with a white chocolate shell and red lace icing pattern, clearing her throat before offering it to Anna timidly.

Anna looks between the truffle and Elsa’s eyes a few times before she dips to try it. Her eyes flutter shut and she lets out what Elsa can only begin to describe as a purr before she moans softly. “Oh my god, Elsa,” she says, laying her head back on the booth’s backboard. “So freaking good.”

That’s all the blonde can handle. Overcome, and sure she matches the red lace of the truffle, she bolts up from the table.

“Elsa?” Anna asks, startled by the sudden movement.

“Ummm…” Elsa’s mind races for an explanation other than the actual reason she needs to create some distance between her and Anna momentarily. “Milk!” she finally bursts aloud. “I’m going to get us some milk to wash these down,” Elsa explains and heads straight for the check-out counter.

For a second, she thinks she hears Anna chuckle to herself, but she quickly waves the idea away. Anna seemed just as flustered as she did. She wouldn’t be so at ease.

“Hey!” Olaf waves at her, appearing from nowhere on the countertop. “How’s the date going?”

Elsa wonders briefly what she must look like. A millisecond ago, she was blushing furiously and now, she can feel that she’s completely lost all color in her face. _Ignore him. Conceal._

“Elsa!” Oaken spots her. “Vhat else can I do for ya?”

“A milk, please,” she smiles and hands him a couple of dollars.

“Right away!” Oaken says, pouring her a glass on the spot.

“Sheesh. So rude,” Olaf mutters.

“Go away,” Elsa mutters back under her breath.

“Saurry?” Oaken asks.

Elsa shakes her head. “Nothing, nothing,” she smiles at him.

“Dar ya go; one straw,” Oaken says, popping a straw into the glass and delivering her milk with a smile.

“Oh,” Elsa says. “Actually, there’s two of us.”

Oaken smiles, drumming his fingers together. “Ya?”

“So…maybe two straws?” Elsa quirks a brow.

“No. Dis is better for good feelings,” he smiles at her still.

Elsa stares at him for a moment before Olaf recalls her attention. “Hello?” Olaf knocks on her head and to her horror, she actually feels it. “He’s trying to help your date.”

“Elsa?” Oaken questions her. “Anything else?“ He claps a little in giddiness strangely fitting such a large man. “Your Majesty?”

Giving him her best fake, albeit shaky chuckle, Elsa backs away from the counter. “Uh heh, no, no. Thanks, Oaken.”

Finding her way back to the booth, Elsa slides in, depositing the milk while staring blankly at the table.

“Thanks, Gorgeous! Actually, I was really thirsty!” Anna takes the milk and a swig all in one motion.

Elsa’s eyes are darting. She can’t decide if she should go home or stay. She doesn’t want to end the date, but Olaf showing up isn’t exactly a great sign and if she were to slip up and speak to Olaf in front of Anna—

“Woah,” Anna places the milk back down. “I can practically see the gears at work in there,” Anna says, knocking on Elsa’s head softly, not unlike Olaf only seconds ago. “You okay?”

“Um…”

“Yep,” Anna smiles softly and edges closer. “There’s smoke coming out of your ears,” she says, investigating Elsa’s ears by peering into them. She takes Elsa’s chin with her forefinger so that Elsa is facing her, their lips mere centimeters apart.

“But your eyes are still very much mine it seems,” Anna smiles and cups Elsa’s cheek. “Seriously, Els. You okay?”

“I’m…” Elsa gulps. How can she feel her heart clear up in her throat and hammering against her chest at the same time? She can’t seem to look away from Anna’s eyes. They’re intoxicating, and for some reason, she thinks to herself _I’m could die staring into those eyes._

“I’m...” she stammers and clears her throat softly. Anna’s stolen her voice as much as her breath away. “I’m…perfect,” she manages at last, glancing down at Anna’s lips before a small grin splits them.

“No arguments here,” Anna says, chuckling softly and returning to take another drink of milk.

Elsa isn’t sure if she’s relieved or disappointed.

*****line break*****

“And then, she actually thought she had turned her _mom_ into a _bear_!” Anna finishes, leaving Elsa gasping for air from laughing so hard.

After the whole Olaf debacle, the rest of the evening had actually gone quite well. The two had been at Oaken’s for hours, just talking and laughing with each other, and the white-haired nuisance was nowhere to be seen. 

And Elsa had never been happier. She truly enjoyed Anna’s company. There was never a dull moment with the redhead, whether they were telling stories, or just sitting staring into each other’s eyes. This was by far the best night of the blonde’s life to date.

As Elsa tries to catch her breath, Anna looks at her watch.

“Oh crap!” she says suddenly, “Uh, we should probably get going. I’m sure Oaken would like to close _before_ midnight. Besides, I did kinda promise you’re roommate I’d have you back at a reasonable time.”

“O-oh, um, okay,” Elsa says, disappointment filling her chest. She didn’t want the night to end just yet, or ever, frankly. They both stand, and make their way out the door, thanking Oaken as they pass the checkout counter.

“No problem, ya? Come vack anytime!” he calls as they exit the shop. The two girls giggle, and take their time walking to Anna’s car.

“So,” Anna says after a few moments. “What’s up with you and Kristopher anyways? Like, you guys aren’t a thing, right? Or—”

“What?! No, no, no, no, no” Elsa cuts her off, shaking her head quickly. “Kristoff’s just my…” _state appointed therapist_ “…my roommate. And best friend.” _I didn’t technically lie…_

“Oh,” Anna says, looking a little smug. “Good. He would’ve had to fight me off if you were. I don’t give up that easily.”

Elsa quirks a brow, trying to imagine a brawl between the short woman next to her and the burly Kristoff. A smile inevitably comes to her lips at the scenario.

“What are you grinning at?” Anna asks, opening the car door for her.

“What a fight between you and Kristoff would look like,” she tells her the truth and laughs.

Anna gives her a mock pout. “Hey, I can hold my own.”

“How tall are you?” Elsa is still grinning.

“Five-skdfals” Anna mutters, closing the door to get in on the other side.

“Five…?” Elsa continues to tease Anna.

“Shut up,” Anna giggles.

***** line break*****

“Elsa, what is this?” Kristoff asks her.

Elsa shakes her head as she looks down and pinches the bridge of her nose, wearing a smirk.

“I said put-em-up!” Anna challenges.

“They are up,” Kristoff laughs at the girl. Anna continues to struggle, her arms flailing as Kristoff merely holds an arm out, his hand on her head to keep her at a more-than-safe distance. “Take it easy, feisty pants,” he laughs again.

Elsa laughs too and Anna finally gives in. “Phew! All right. You win this round. Mainly because I’m okay with Elsa knowing me as ‘Feisty Pants’,” she grins at him.

“Heyo!” Kristoff laughs, bending at the waist when Elsa blushes into oblivion.

He regains his self-composure enough to stop laughing. “All right. Thanks for getting her home at a somewhat decent hour,” he crosses his arms.

“Hey! She was home by the end of the night. It just turned tomorrow,” Anna throws up her arms in defense.

Kristoff chuckles. “Okay, Kid,” he turns to Elsa. “Goodnight. I’ll let you guys say your goodbyes. Nice seeing you again, Anna…unless you two were planning a sleepover or something—“

“Kristoff!” Elsa’s eyes go wide and she smacks him.

“That’s my official cue. ‘Night,” he waves and walks toward the kitchen.

Anna is looking down at her feet, shuffling them nervously when Elsa’s eyes return to her. “So I…uh..I had a really great time,” she says, looking up to smile at Elsa.

The blonde feels her heart thrum. “I did too,” she says, tugging on her braid as she smiles at the young woman.

“Then…” Anna steps a bit closer, taking Elsa’s hand. “Can we see each again sometime?”

Elsa pretends to ponder it. “Hmmm…” she hums, tapping her chin.

Anna’s eyes widen in fear for a second before Elsa smirks. “I’d love to see you again.” 

Rolling her eyes, Anna steps forward and before Elsa can register what’s happening, she feels herself pulled toward the redhead. Anna kisses her cheek and releases her. “Good. I’d love to see you again too,” she laughs. “I’ll call you tomorrow if that’s okay.”

Elsa blinks rapidly, attempting to regain her senses as her fingers trace her cheek where Anna had just kissed her. She can practically hear her heart beating against her chest. “Okay,” is all she manages to answer.

Anna smirks at the blonde. “Goodnight, Elsa,” she says as she walks down the hall and out of sight. Elsa stands in front of the apartment door for a few moments, still frozen. She smiles, and walks back through the door.

“Sooo,” says Kristoff from the bar. “How’d it go?”

Elsa doesn’t answer him. She merely walks past the blonde, straight to her room, her smile never leaving her face.


	6. Six

*****line break*****

Fall from Grace

Chapter 6

_Fog rolls through a blank expanse. Elsa places her hand at her brow, trying to peer into a distance she cannot see. She starts running, but no matter how far or how fast, the fog seems everlasting. Panic begins to settle in._

_“Elsa…”_

_All at once, the fog dissipates, wings clearing it away along with Elsa’s panic._

_Elsa smiles and takes Anna’s hand as she lands softly in front of her.  “Anna…” her voice echoes softly. “Where am I?”_

_Anna smiles sadly at her, reaching out to her with a wing, letting it brush her cheek. Elsa closes her eyes to savor the soft caress and opens her eyes to see Anna frowning in thought._

_“Anna?”_

_Anna’s eyes sadden. “You’re lost, Elsa.”_

_“I’m…lost…”_

_“I’m trying, my love,” Anna steps closer, enveloping them both in her wings. “I’m trying,” she whispers once again, and rests her forehead on Elsa’s._

_“How can I be lost if you’ve found me?” Elsa furrows her brows, attempting to make sense of Anna’s words._

_“Because you’ve lost yourself,” Anna cups Elsa’s cheek. “But you’re right,” she smiles. “I’ve finally found you.”_

*****line break*****

Elsa shoots awake, her alarm blaring. _Why didn’t I turn off my alarm?_

She blindly reaches out and swats at her alarm clock, before slumping back onto her bed, covering her face with her pillow. She sits for a moment, letting the memories from the previous night fill her mind. She feels a small smile grace her face. Just then, she feels the bed depress as someone sits next to her.

“Long night, eh?” Olaf teases, and Elsa fights a groan.

“For once, can’t you just leave me alone,” she huffs, removing the pillow from her face.

Olaf taps his chin in mock thought. “Hmm…nope!” he smiles, and Elsa groans again, throwing the pillow at him. Only, instead of flying through him like it should’ve, it hits him in the head, and lands on the floor with a soft thump.

“Hey!” he says indignantly, but Elsa doesn’t hear him. She’s too busy freaking out about the fact that Olaf was no longer just a ghost. Her eyes go wide, and her mouth opens and closes several times as she tries to think of something to say.

“Kristoff!” she yells, running out of her bedroom.

“What? What is it?” he answers, meeting her at the door. Elsa immediately begins pulling him into her room.

“Tell me he’s not there…t-tell me there’s no one in my b-bedroom,” she stammers, pointing to her bed, close to tears. Olaf smiles and waves at her, causing her to start hyperventilating. “Please Kristoff, h-he can’t be r-real t-too.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Elsa, calm down. What’s going on?” Kristoff says, forcing Elsa to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

“O-Olaf was…h-he was…a-and the p-pillow…and—”

“Are you seriously telling on me right now?” Olaf rolls his eyes.

“Elsa!” Kristoff shouts, cutting her off. “Look at me. You _need_ to calm down, or you’re going to have another panic attack.”

Elsa nods, squeezing her eyes shut, and taking several deep breaths.

“Now,” Kristoff sits her back down on the bed, and Olaf starts lifting his hair in multiple directions while snickering. “There’s no one in this room but you and me. What’s going on? I thought Olaf only appeared when you were alone.”

Elsa shifts uncomfortably and sighs. “He’s been coming around more and more. He’s there when other people are now and he’s starting to be more than just a ghost-type-thing. He can hold objects, and he uh…knocked on my head last night.”

Kristoff looks at her like she’s…well, crazy. “He knocked on your head? Wait, wait, wait. Last night? On your date?”

Elsa grimaces and nods. She really is hoping he won’t decide seeing Anna is a mistake and ask her to stop like he asked her to quit her job. She wasn’t sure she would be so willing to follow his advice on that one.

“And…it didn’t affect your date?” he presses.

“No. He only showed up once,” she scrunches her brows together, wondering where his logic was taking this conversation. Her eyes dart to Olaf who is now flicking Kristoff’s ears. “You really can’t tell he’s in here right now?” she asks in disbelief.

Olaf laughs.

“Elsa, there is _no one_ in here but us,” Kristoff reiterates. “Okay?”

Elsa looks over at Olaf, who had taken to making funny faces behind her blonde friend, then back at Kristoff.

“Okay,” she whispers.

“All right,” Kristoff nods. “So, you said that Olaf showing up had no effect on your date with Anna last night?”

“Um…no, it…it didn’t,” Elsa says slowly, confused as to why Kristoff is still stuck on the whole date thing when she’s sitting here, having a crisis. “He disappeared after I sat back down with Anna.”

“Interesting,” Kristoff looks off into a non-existent distant.

“Interesting?!” Elsa begins to panic again, her voice’s pitch rising a few octaves. “Interesting? What does ‘interesting’ mean, Kristoff?”

Kristoff pats the air. “Take deep breaths,” he instructs. “I think,” he sighs, then continues, “I think this is good for you.”

“What’s good for me?” Elsa frowns and takes a deep breath.

“Anna,” Kristoff muses. “Normally, seeing Olaf freaks you out—you start to panic like you are now.”

Olaf nods, mockingly agreeing with him, but Elsa focuses on Kristoff.

“And…” she twirls her finger in the air for him to continue.

“And when he appeared last night, Anna distracted you enough that Olaf didn’t show up again. I’m thinking she helps you focus on what’s real, on what’s right in front of you.”

“Um, that would be me,” Olaf harasses Kristoff by waving his hand in front of him as Kristoff continues to be oblivious.

Elsa’s eyes shift back and forth between the two men. “You…you really think so?”

“Yes,” Kristoff says, and Olaf huffs, upset that he’s being ignored. “In fact, why don’t you try something for me? Is Olaf still here?”

“Yeah, he’s, um, he’s right next to you actually,” she says nodding her chin in Olaf’s direction.

“Finally! Some recognition!” Olaf says, throwing his arms up.

“Okay, good,” Kristoff says, earning a glare from Elsa and an attempted high five from Olaf. “Hey, don’t give me that look, I’m trying to help you. Now, what I want you to do is close your eyes. Well, go on.”

Elsa huffs, but does as he says, listening to him as he continues.

“Good,” she hears him say. “Now I want to you to clear your mind of all thoughts except for Anna.” 

“Okay…” she takes another deep breath and a smile takes to her lips when as she recalls her angelic laugh, her dimples when she grins, the gleam in her eyes that shifts to something more when she locks eyes with her…

“Heh,” Kristoff chuckles. “Judging by the goofy look on your face, I’m guessing the job is done. Open your eyes.”

Elsa opens one eye at a time. Her eyebrows shoot to the roof. “He’s gone!”

Kristoff grins. “See?” he claps her shoulder to assure her. “It is officially my official opinion that you keep dating the crap out of that girl.”

Elsa gives him a flat look, bemusement apparent.

Kristoff holds up his arms in defense. “Or you know, just date her. That’s cool too.”

“You’re the first therapist I’ve ever had that actually suggested dating as a form of treatment,” Elsa giggles, her relief at Olaf’s disappearing almost overwhelming.

“I call it the ‘Kristoff Method’” Kristoff says proudly, giving the blonde a big grin. “It comes highly suggested.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Elsa says in mock seriousness. Then she smiles at her friend. “Thanks Kristoff. For…everything.”

“Anytime, Kid,” he says, ruffling her hair, and earning another glare. “All right. Why don’t you take a shower, and I’ll make you some breakfast. Sound good?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Elsa says, chuckling. Kristoff smiles, and stands, leaving the girl alone in her room, a smile on her face.

*****line break*****

Elsa stabs at her steak, resting her chin in her palm with her elbow on the table.

Kristoff sighs. “You know that steak might just resurrect itself, pack its things, and walk out of here if you keep mistreating it like that.”

Elsa gives him a half-hearted laugh.

“What’s wrong?” Kristoff asks. “I thought you had an okay day today.”

“I did! That Michelle Kwan is a really amazing figure skater. The judges never give her the credit she deserves.”

Kristoff rolls his eyes. “You didn’t pay any attention to that tournament, did you? Michelle Kwan hasn’t skated seriously since 2005.”

Elsa smirks and Kristoff’s avoids eye-contact. “I mean, don’t change the subject. What’s up, Kid?”

A pained expression crosses Elsa’s features. “Anna…hasn’t called yet.”

Kristoff frowns. “Oh! Well, uh…I’m sure she will. Did she say she would?”

“Yeah, she said she’d call sometime today.”

“Well,” Kristoff smiles. “It’s still today. Got another seven hours, in fact.”

Sighing, Elsa stabs her steak once again. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Chin up, Els,” Kristoff says, patting her head. “She’ll call.”

With that, he leaves her with her thoughts, and half-eaten steak. She sighs again, pushing her plate away from her, no longer hungry.

_Why hasn’t she called? I thought she had a good time. I know I did._ Elsa lets her head fall to the table. _Did I do something wrong?_ she sits back up, blowing air at a fallen strand of hair.

Olaf suddenly appears, taking a stab at her steak from across the table where Kristoff had been seated seconds ago. “’Sup?” he asks, bringing the entire steak to his mouth and taking a ridiculously huge bite.

 

Elsa scowls at him. “Besides being annoyed?”

“Seriously,” Olaf frowns. “Rude,” he accuses her, placing the steak back on her plate, and pouting.

Elsa takes a deep breath, trying not to think too much of the giant bite taken from her steak. Figments of the imagination have healthy appetites apparently. “Said the guy who just engulfed half my steak,” she accuses back.

Olaf rolls his eyes. “You weren’t eating it, and it’s been awhile since I’ve had one. Sheesh.”

Sighing, Elsa looks at her phone with a forlorn expression.

“She still hasn’t called, huh?” Olaf asks.

Elsa shrugs.

“Ah, take heart, gorgeous,” he smiles at her. “What time is it?”

“Um,” Elsa looks at her phone’s clock. “5:02.”

“Well, maybe she has an eight to fiver, ya know? She’s probably gonna call you when she gets home.”

“Why are you trying to cheer me up?” Elsa frowns.

“We’re friends,” Olaf frowns in return as if confused. “Don’t you remember that?”

“I remember years of my life wasted in an institution,” Elsa responds bitterly. “All because I saw you and no one else did.”

Olaf raises a finger and opens his mouth as if to retort, but stops himself.

“Just go away,” Elsa pleads softly. “Please? Why won’t you just leave me alone?”

Olaf runs his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, Els. I don’t mean to cause you pain. You really are a friend to me. More than that, even. I’m just trying to help.”

Elsa shakes her head sadly. “She’ll find out about you.”

Olaf’s brows come together. “You mean Anna?”

Elsa nods.

“Well…” he drums his fingers on the table. “Maybe we can all be friends? I know I’d like that.”

Elsa scoffs and sighs once again, resting her head against the frame of the bay window. “Right. Then we can sing, and dance, and hold hands in the rain.”

“Hey that doesn’t sound too bad!” Olaf says, and Elsa fights not to roll her eyes.

“Can you just go away,” she pleads. “Please?”

Olaf gives Elsa a sad smile. “Sure Els.”

And with that, Elsa is alone. She looks up in surprise, having not expected Olaf to listen to her. Before she can really register that the boy really was gone, her phone goes off, startling her.

“H-Hello?” she asks, having been so eager to answer, she hadn’t looked at who it was.

“Hi, Gorgeous!” Anna’s voice rings with such enthusiasm it brings a broad smile to Elsa’s face.

“Um, hi!” Elsa tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “How are you?”

“Great! I just got off work. Did I mention where I work? I guess we talked about a lot last night, but I never mentioned where I worked, and—” Elsa hears Anna take a huge breath. “Wow! I’m rambling!” Anna laughs. “Sorry,” she chuckles.

Elsa laughs under her breath. “It’s fine…it’s um…” _Come on, you can say it. It’s what you’re thinking. Just say it._ “It’s really cute, actually.”

The line is silent.

“A-Anna?” Elsa asks worriedly.

“Hi!” Anna says right away. “Still here! Heh…you um, just…surprised me, I guess. Heh,” she chuckles nervously.

Elsa’s cheeks become warm. “I’m sorry. I—”

“Sorry you think I’m cute?” Anna sounds like her chipper self once again. “I’m not.”

Elsa pulls her lips in, completely at a loss for what to say.

“I mean…” Anna says. “Obviously you’re cute. You know—the way you tuck strands of hair behind your ear when you’re nervous, or when you just, ya know, breathe,” she chortles.

Elsa imagines she looks roughly what a reindeer looks like right before it gets hit. Her eyes are wide, and her entire countenance is frozen.

“Elsa?”

“Sorry! Sorry,” Elsa snaps out of it. “Um, you breathe cute too?” she tries, but knows she’s failed before the words leave her mouth.

Anna loses it on the other side of the line.

Elsa laughs too, Anna’s guffaws infectious.

“Ahhh,” Anna sighs happily after they’ve laughed a good long while. “She’s beautiful and hilarious to talk to.”

Elsa rolls her eyes with a grin. “I try.”

“Well you succeed,” Anna sniggers. “Okay, so I called to ask you if you’d like to hang out again sometime?”

“Oh, Anna dearest,” Elsa can’t help but tease. “To ‘hang out’ sounds divine.”

Anna laughs. “Quiet you. You could’ve asked _me_ out, ya know.”

“Oh, I know,” Elsa teases further. “In fact,” Elsa begins, having a thought. “Why don’t you let me pick what we do next?”

“Oh?” Anna asks. “Okay! Fair’s fair.”

“Great!” Elsa says.

“Heh,” Anna chuckles under her breath. “So what’s your brilliant plan for our next date then?”

“Date?” Elsa challenges. “I seem to recall we’re just ‘hanging out’,” she grins into the phone.

“Okay, okay, I give! Uncle!” Anna laughs. “D-A-T-E. Date. We’re going on a date. Happy?”

“Yes, actually,” Elsa responds rather smugly. It’s funny—she’s usually shy, but Anna seems incredibly talented at getting her out of her shell.

“So when and where, beautiful?” Anna asks.

“Pick me up at my place at 7:30 tomorrow?” Elsa suggests.

“Sounds good to me,” Anna responds.

The line is silent as a few seconds tick by. Elsa smiles, enjoying the mere fact that Anna is on the other side of the call. “So you just got off work?” she asks.

“Oh! Yeah, sorry, I totally spaced telling you what I do, huh? I work at a local petting zoo. Not exactly glamorous, but it pays decent, and the hours are regular.”

“No, that sounds nice,” Elsa nods though Anna can’t see her. “What kind of petting zoo? Lots of farm animals, or…?”

“Mainly animals that need a place to stay for a while actually. We get a lot of ‘rescue’ cases. I’m lucky—I get to mainly hang out with this reindeer we’ve called Sven. Well, if I’m being honest, I call him Sven, and everyone else just looks the other way.”

“Oh? Wow, I’ve never seen a reindeer in real life before,” Elsa’s brows rise.

“You’ll have to stop by some time then, gorgeous. Sven’s such a player. He’s always flirting with the girls that come by to see him,” she chuckles. “And if you bring him a carrot, he’ll basically be devoted to you the rest of your life.”

“Heh,” Elsa lets out a soft laugh in response. “I’ll remember that.”

“Well, I better get going. I’m driving and you’re just a tad distracting,” Anna teases.

Elsa smirks. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, Anna. Um, ‘Night.”

“Sweet dreams, Elsa” Anna replies, and Elsa’s eyes widen at the memory of her dreams she’d had the night before.

“Um…” Elsa swallows. “You too, Anna. Sweet dreams.”


	7. Seven

Fall from Grace

Chapter 7

“Turn here,” Elsa instructs, unable to rid herself of the smile that had appeared the moment she had seen Anna.

“Are you ever going to tell me where we are going?” the redhead asks, and Elsa giggles.

“Nope! It’s a surprise!”

Anna huffs, but smiles at the blonde. “Cute and mysterious? Looks like you’ve got the whole package.”

“I do what I can,” Elsa smirks, blushing from the compliment. “Okay, take the next left, and it’s the first building on the right.”

Anna follows Elsa’s directions, pulling into the parking lot. She takes one look at the sign, and turns to Elsa, her eyebrows blending into her hair.

“Ice skating?” she asks, bewildered. “You’re taking me _ice skating_?”

Elsa laughs at Anna’s obvious unease. “Yes,” she giggles. “Is there anything wrong with that?”

Anna blushes, her eyes widening. “W-wha—n-no! there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just…well, me and ice…we don’t really mix that well. I mean, I’m like really, _really_ clumsy. B-but, I ‘m sure you already knew that, after all we only met cause I practically ran you over, hehe. But, yeah. Super clumsy. Like I can barely walk in a straight line on the sidewalk, much less balance on two teeny tiny little blades on a surface that’s naturally slippery—”

“Anna!” Elsa cuts her off with a smirk, failing to contain her chuckle, and causing the redhead to blush furiously. _Cute._ “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“I dunno—”

“Oh come _on_ ,” Elsa says, practically pushing her out the car door. “Don’t be such a baby. It’ll be fun!”

Anna hesitates for a moment, then gives Elsa a large, award-winning smile. “I suppose if you _really_ want to, we can go. After all, who am I to say no to such a beautiful creature?” she cracks, causing Elsa to blush furiously. Before the blonde can retort, Anna’s out of the car, and opening Elsa’s door for her.

“You’re spoiling me,” Elsa smiles and takes Anna’s offered hand. She almost regrets it when an overwhelming, tingling familiarity overtakes her. She stares at their hands, unable to put a finger on why this happens when they touch, but not wanting it to stop. She looks at Anna and sees the redhead is staring at their hands as well, transfixed. Her teal eyes flash to meet Elsa’s and for a moment, neither of them breathe or say a word. They just stare at each other, recognizing a mystery that’s held between them.

Anna’s eyes cast themselves down at their hands once again and she takes her hand away hesitantly. Elsa frowns when the familiar sensation is gone, reluctant to let go of it. Peering into Anna’s eyes once more, she wonders if she reads reluctance there too.

“We uh…I guess we should get inside,” Anna smiles half-heartedly.

“Right,” Elsa nods, attempting to come back to reality. “Right.”

Anna searches Elsa’s eyes. The blonde would normally feel self-conscious under such scrutiny, but she finds herself at ease. Anna seems to find her answer in Elsa’s eyes, and she reaches for Elsa’s hand once again. Elsa takes in a sharp breath when the familiarity returns, bringing with it that strange sensation of relief.

“Come on,” Anna grins. “Let’s go see how many times you can make me fall on my ass for our second date,” she laughs.

Just like that, Elsa is put at ease once again. “Deal.”

*****line break*****

“You’d think after centuries of innovation and technological advancement, ice skates would catch up with something other than laces,” Anna grumbles, struggling with the long laces as she tries to tighten them and tie them at the same time.

Elsa hums a laugh, and sits on a bench across from her. All at once, she takes the girl’s ankle, brings her foot to rest on one of her thighs, and steals the laces to properly tie them for Anna.

“Bah! Elsa!” Anna nearly shrieks, her arms flailing until she grasps onto the backboard of her bench. “Sheesh! Warn a girl before you grab one of her ankles next time, would ya?”

Elsa merely hums another laugh and switches ankles, finishing in seconds. “We’re all set. Ready?” she asks, and returns Anna’s ankle to the floor.

Anna stares at her skates with wide eyes. “So…you probably basically live here at this skating rink, right? That’s why you’re already so good at this?” She sighs and mumbles. “And we haven’t even skated yet.”

Elsa tries to hide a smirk, but fails. “Actually, I’ve never been skating either. This’ll be a first for both of us. Now, come on,” she stands and offers Anna a hand.

Elsa wants to sigh with relief when their hands meet again. Anna gingerly raises herself to stand. She holds her arms out, trying to balance.  Elsa can’t believe it, but just standing in the skates, not even on the ice yet, Anna looks like she might fall any second. A single laugh escapes her, and she clasps both of her hands to her mouth to shut herself up.

“Yeah, yeah,” Anna mock-glares at her. “You laugh, but today is the day I die, mark me. The obituary will read ‘Anna Christiansen: freak accident on ice.’”

Elsa outright laughs this time. “You’ll do fine. Like I said, we’re both new to this.”

Rolling her eyes, Anna sighs. “Then why do you look like you were born in those. Look at you!” she motions at Elsa’s stance. “You’re just standing there like, like—woah!” Anna almost falls backward, but twirls her arms, regaining her balance with her arms outstretched once again. “Seriously, Els—I may die.”

Elsa rolls her eyes and motions for the redhead to follow her. “Just come on. Maybe you’ll do better on the ice.”

“Riiiiiiight,” Anna agrees with sarcasm dripping from the word.

They come to stairs that descend to the rink and Anna’s eyes widen. Elsa smirks, deciding not to say anything, but to watch from the corner of her eyes. Anna takes hold of the railing like it’s a lifeline and leans on it with her full body weight the whole way down.

They get to the rink and Elsa steps out onto the ice. She smells the air, taking a deep, long breath in and sighs contentedly as if she’s just taken a refreshing drink. _God, I love the smell of winter_ , she thinks, smiling to herself.

She turns to see if Anna’s made it onto the ice, and her eyes become saucers. “Anna!” she warns, but it’s too late. The girl had stepped onto the ice at a ridiculous angle and immediately starts flailing her arms in every direction as she careens toward Elsa.

Acting on instinct, Elsa pivots her weight to the side and she skates backward enough to avoid a head-on collision with Anna, and instead catches her just before she falls.

Anna slowly looks up at Elsa, chuckling nervously. “Heheh, thanks.”

Elsa’s eyes soften. “Of course. Are you all right?”

“Am I still in ice skates?” Anna asks.

Elsa looks down at the girl’s skates though she doesn’t need to and nods.

Anna’s head slumps, but she laughs. “Then be prepared to catch me a few dozen more times tonight.”

Laughing, Elsa helps Anna raise herself.

Anna is practically clinging to her. “So unfair,” Anna remarks. “Why are you so naturally good at this?”

Elsa shrugs. It feels exactly as Anna described: like she was born ice skating. The skates’ just feel _right_ on her feet, and she feels like she could do one of those triple axel thingies that Kristoff always admires on television at the blink of an eye. Ice skating feels more natural than walking.

“No idea,” Elsa answers honestly. “Ready to give it a try?”

Determination claims Anna’s features. “Ready?” she revs herself up. “Yeah! I was born ready! Let’s do this!”

“Easy, feisty pants,” Elsa chuckles, noting that Anna’s right skate is already teetering.

Anna chuckles in return. “That nickname’s sticking, huh?”

Elsa smirks. “Yep!” she says with a pop.

Anna becomes smug. “Fine by me. Okay…” she pushes forward.

Elsa doesn’t mind when the motion makes her skate backwards, still feeling like skating was the most natural thing in the world. She feels a calm sense of peace overtake her.

That is, until she hears a familiar voice next to her ear. “She’s doing well!” Olaf’s chipper voice grates on Elsa’s nerves, and she grinds her teeth. “Just tell her to glide and pivot. Gliiiide and pivot.” The white-haired boy circles the pair.

Elsa ignores him, focusing on Anna who is nearly doing the splits in her skates. The only reason she’s not is because Elsa has a firm grip with their clasped arms. “Um…try to glide then pivot,” Elsa suggests, deciding the advice isn’t all that bad.

Anna purses her lips to the side in thought and once in position again, gives it a try. A broad grin takes to her lips when the advice seems to work. “Hey! I’m skating!”

Elsa grins too. “You are!”

Olaf appears to Anna’s left. “My work here is done. Toodles!” he salutes her with a cheeky grin and disappears. Elsa breathes a silent sigh of relief, before returning her attention to Anna, who had managed to move a few feet on her own.

“How are you feeling?” Elsa asks, easily skating next to the redhead.

“I think I got it,” she huffs, concentrating on her feet. Elsa chuckles, circling her a few times. Anna notices, and sticks her tongue out at the blonde. “You go on; you’re obviously better at this than I am.”

“You sure?” Elsa asks. She wanted to stay with Anna, but she also wanted to test her limits.

“Yeah, yeah,” Anna says, waving her away with a smile. “Go have fun. I’ll be here.”

Elsa smiles, giving Anna’s hands a squeeze before taking off across the rink. Her first few laps, she took it slow, wanting to be sure that she was fully comfortable, though it was wholly unnecessary. After a few minutes, she was flying around the rink at full speed. She even let out a whoop as she speeds up faster and faster. 

The more she skated, the more confident she became. After she had completed close to twenty laps, she began to try more complicated maneuvers. She started off easy, trying to skate backwards—with great success—and quickly moved on to trying some of the moves that she had seen the skaters on the television do.

After a few minutes, she returned to skating around the rink at full speed, flashing Anna a dazzling smile as she passed her. As Elsa slowly began to go faster and faster, she felt herself building up to something. She speed up, all her concentration on releasing this feeling. Suddenly, she felt the right moment. If she just places the tip of her skate _there,_ and pushes off just like _this_...With a large smile, Elsa jumps.

And lands a perfect triple axel.

She skids to a stop, her heart racing. _Where the hell did that come from?!_

Elsa pants in exhilaration, making her way over to Anna who is looking at her like she has snails growing out of her ears.

“You liar!” she exclaims, giving Elsa a shove, which only sends the redhead flailing off. She steadies herself, and places her hands on her hips, playfully glaring at Elsa. “I thought you said you’ve never skated before!”

Elsa chuckles. “I wasn’t lying! This is the first time I’ve ever stepped foot in a rink! Just ask Kristoff.”

Anna narrows her eyes at the blonde, clearly not believing her. “If you’ve never skated before, then how the hell did you just land a perfect triple axel? I mean seriously, Els! That was better than most Olympic competitors!”

“I…I don’t know,” says Elsa shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I just…did it. I felt so _natural_.”

Anna tilts her head at Elsa, pondering the girl over. “Well if I were you, I’d find myself an agent and get to some competitions.”

Elsa furrows her brows, scratching her head at what just happened. “Maybe…” she says, staring off into a non-existent distance, completely wrapped up in her thoughts. Was all of this…more of her imagining things? Anna was right. But Anna had also seen it….but Anna also appeared to her in her dreams…

_AGHHHHHH!_ Elsa wishes she could scream her frustration, but closes her eyes and takes deep breaths instead. She wondered if people knew how very confusing it is to be crazy sometimes.

Elsa shakes her head, willing her thoughts away and looks toward Anna.  She almost jumps back—the redhead is staring at her with a dreamy expression as she leans on the wall of the rink for balance. Her eyes are half-lidded as they gaze at her and a content sigh escapes her lips before they form into a half-smile.

Elsa’s eyes dart as she blushes. “What is it?”

Anna jolts at being caught. “Chm! Nothing, um…” she chuckles, collecting herself. “You do this thing sometimes where you disappear into your own little world. Your eyes dart like they are right now, but you bite your lip too and start playing with your braid. I don’t stand a chance with that kind of adorableness on display,” she gives her another half-smile.

Her cheeks are on fire now as Elsa tries to change the subject. “How’s the skating going?”

Anna laughs, the sound bringing a smile to Elsa’s lips as it fills her heart with warmth. “I’m not sure how the skating is going, but the wall, here, and me are becoming _great_ friends,” she smirks at Elsa as she pats the wall.

Elsa skates in front of her. “How about you hang on to me for a while instead?”

Anna’s eyes widen. “Sure!”

Elsa frowns then her eyes match Anna’s when she realizes what she’s said. She tucks in her lips, looking away in shyness for a moment before holding her hands out for Anna.

Anna carefully makes her way to Elsa, barely avoiding a face-plant before she’s securely latched onto Elsa. They skate for the rest of the session, Anna telling Elsa all about Sven, her work, and anything that comes to mind.

“So what about you?” Anna asks.

“Hmm? What about me?” Elsa raises a brow, smirking as she balances Anna with every pivot.

“What do you do?”

“Uh…”

“For work,” Anna clarifies.

“I was working at a coffee shop,” Elsa answers, suddenly feeling like her collar is a little tight.

“Was?” Anna asks.

“Yeah, I uh, I quit,” Elsa says, clearing her throat. “For, um, personal reasons.”

“Oh, did you find another job or something?”

“No, I uh,” Elsa hesitates. A half-truth should do. “My parents left me money so I don’t really have to work.”

“Oh!” Anna’s brows rise. “Well, that’s nice…wait,” she frowns. “Does that mean…?”

Elsa nods. “My parents passed away a few years ago in an accident.”

“Oh no,” Anna’s eyes become soft with sympathy.

“It’s um. It’s all right,” Elsa lies.

“No,” Anna lifts her arm from Elsa’s, cupping Elsa’s cheek. “No, it’s not all right. I’m so sorry, Elsa.”

Elsa looks down, nodding and willing away the memories. “Thanks.”

“Chm,” Anna clears her throat. “Hey, uh, why don’t we get out of here? We can get some hot chocolate or something? I think the session’s over anyway. That guy is practically revving his Zamboni.”

Elsa quirks a brow, unable to stop herself from a small giggle. “His what now?”

“Woooow,” Anna grins at her. “So mature.”

“Come on,” Elsa grins, guiding Anna to the exit.

*****line break*****

“You’re sure Kristoff will be okay with us continuing our date?” Anna asks.

“Oh yeah, Kristoff won’t mind,” Elsa smiles, rummaging for her key then opening the door. “Honey! I’m home!” she announces, earning a snicker from Anna.

“Oh yeah?” Kristoff calls from the couch as she hangs her keys. “How was the hot date?” he teases. “Oooh la la!” he adds before turning to look at her, only to see Anna grinning at the pair.

“Chm!” Elsa coughs into a fist.

“Oh uh, hey, Anna,” Kristoff chuckles nervously. He stands, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “So how was the date?”

“Are you asking me or Miss Champions on Ice over here?” Anna folds her arms, and rests on hip as she juts her chin at Elsa.

Kristoff’s jaw drops. “You went ice skating without me?!”

Elsa gives him her signature smirk with an arched brow.

“I mean…um, cool cool. You know, cuz hockey and…stuff…” he says, pink tinting his cheeks.

“Yeah, sure,” Elsa deadpans with a smile.

“Shut up,” Kristoff says. “Chm, so, uh, how was it?”

“Elsa was _amazing!_ ” Anna exclaims, causing the blonde to blush. “You should have _seen_ her! She was a natural! I watched her jump _and land_ a triple axel!”

“She what?!” Kristoff just about screeches. Both Anna and Elsa look at him strangely, and he clears his throat. “Chm…I-I mean, what’s, uh, wha-what’s that?”

“Oh, nice recovery,” Elsa giggles sarcastically as Anna doubles over with laughter.

Kristoff huffs indignantly, crossing his arms. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up blondie. I’m not the one who snorts if she get tickled too hard.”

Elsa immediately stops laughing, turning twenty different shades of red in under thirty seconds.

“Kristoff!” she shrieks, her eyes wide in horror.

“Oh really?” she hears from behind her, and she turns to see Anna looking at her with mischief in her eyes.

“Don’t. You. Dare,” she says, stepping back with her hands held out in front of her as Anna backs her into a corner, a menacing smile on her face. 

“Anna,” she backs up, bumping into a bar stool. “You wouldn’t…I mean…” Elsa gulps and her eyes are wide with fright when she hits the wall, no escape in sight.

“Mwahahaha!” Anna laughs mercilessly and attacks Elsa’s sides.

“No!” Elsa shrieks. “Stop! Ahhhh!” she begins to laugh and before she can stop herself, she snorts. Loud.

“Ha!” Kristoff bellows.

Anna chuckles and stops. “I’m sorry, but that was just too tempting.”

Elsa slides down to the floor in exhaustion and utter defeat, holding her sides.

“Payback’s a bitch,” Kristoff teases.

Anna turns back, laughing, and Elsa decides that payback is indeed a bitch. Before she can fully think about what she’s doing, the blonde reaches up and grabs Anna’s jeans. Then she pulls.

“Ahk!” Anna screeches, immediately bending over to pull her pants up, and Elsa freezes, realizing what she’s done.

_Oh my God. Oh. My._ God! she thinks in horror. “Anna, I’m soooooo sorry!”

“Nope!” Kristoff looks up at the ceiling to avoid looking at Anna. “I’m out,” he says, leaving for his room.

Elsa lets her horrified expression travel up Anna’s form, her cheeks on fire in embarrassment for the both of them.

Anna’s cheeks are red too, but she’s rolling her eyes with a grin. “Ya know, if you wanted to get my pants off, there are other ways…” she trails off.

If possible, Elsa blushes further. “Oh God, oh God, oh God,” she shakes her head in her palms. “I’m so completely mortified. I don’t know what I was thinking! I just-just—“

“Pantsed me,” Anna finishes for her, laughing.

Elsa peeks up at her between her fingers. “Did I mention I’m sorry?”

Anna slides down against the wall to sit down next to her on the floor. “Yeah,” she laughs. “I think you’re more embarrassed than I am.”

“I’m still sorry,” Elsa lowers her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. She rocks her head toward Anna to look at her and sees Anna playing with one of her braids, looking uncharacteristically shy. Her brows come together. “Anna?” she asks in concern. “Really, I’m soo soo soooooo sorry!” she half-apologizes, half-pleads.

A corner of Anna’s lips turn up in a small smile. “It’s really fine, Elsa. I’m actually just wondering how to do this. I’ve never been the one to do this.”

“Do…what?” Elsa’s brows scrunch further together in confusion.

“Um,” Anna turns her head toward her, their breath suddenly mingling.  Anna locks their gazes and leans forward. “This,” she says, and Elsa nearly melts when their lips meet. Anna traces a digit along Elsa’s jawline, leaning back, and just as quickly as it happened, the kiss stops, their lips part.

Elsa is frozen. That kiss felt so… _heavenly_ , she thinks to herself, touching her lips as if searching for evidence that the kiss had really happened.

Anna searches Elsa’s eyes. “Was…that okay?” she asks. “I mean,” she sputters. “Not the kiss! I mean was it okay to kiss you, ya know, cuz I don’t wanna rush us or anything and I know this might seem kind of fast, and I really like you and—”

Elsa cuts her off with another kiss. “Yes,” she smiles when they part again, holding Anna’s cheek. “It’s most _definitely_ okay.”

Anna smiles and blushes, resting her hand atop Elsa’s. “That’s good,” she chuckles under her breath. The two of them sit like that for a few moments, enjoying the silence. Elsa hums softly when Anna begins tracing soft patterns over her palm.

“So,” Anna says after a few moments. “Does this mean there’s going to be more dates?”

Elsa chuckles, leaning her head on Anna’s shoulder. “I think it does.”

She feels Anna kiss the top of her head before the redhead rest her cheek on her hair. “Good. I’m not giving you up just yet.”

_I’m not giving you up either_ , Elsa thinks. _I’ve finally found you._


	8. Eight

Fall from Grace

Chapter 8

“No way!” Kristoff argues.

“Um, yes way!” Anna argues back, her jaw dropping with incredulity.

“Where? Where in the 4,224 pages does it _ever_ mention Dumbledore being gay?”

Anna rolls her eyes. “Okay, first of all—Nerd,” she calls him.

“What are you talking about? You love Harry Potter too.”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head the exact number of pages there are,” Anna retorts. “And let me finish,” she holds out her hand, patting the air. “J. K. Rowling herself said that he’s gay!”

“So what?” Kristoff blares. “I want some evidence from what she actually wrote.”

“Um…Fawkes,” Anna says as if her point was already made.

“What about him? He was just Dumbledore’s pet phoenix.” Kristoff frowns.

Anna’s expression becomes flat in disbelief. “His pet. Was literally. Flaming.”

Elsa tucks her lips in to stop herself from laughing. Both Kristoff and Anna had been arguing since they left that morning. As she watches the two of them, she lets her eyes rest on Anna. She couldn’t seem to keep them off of the redhead. She just couldn’t believe that she had managed to find someone so amazing. And even though the two had only been dating for about two weeks, Elsa felt there was a deep connection between them. She smiles as Kristoff continues to reject Anna’s arguments.

“Oh come on!” he bellows. “That doesn’t prove anything.”

“Okay, fine,” Anna folds her arms. “What about him being an activist for every oppressed group of the wizarding world, huh? Werewolves, giants, house elves, muggle-borns, centaurs…”

“So? That’s just because he’s a good guy,” Kristoff shakes his head.

“No,” Anna remains steadfast. “It’s because he knows what it’s like to belong to a minority. And hey! He’s a white male! Gee, hmmm, what minority could he belong to then?” she pretends to stroke her chin sarcastically.

“I dunno Anna…” Kristoff wears an expression of doubt.

“Okay!” Anna points a miffed finger toward him, obviously not finished. “Let’s talk about Mr. I’m Gonna Call Myself Voldemort. Who do you think he got that name changey stuff from? How ‘bout Albus Dumbledore. You know what else that spells? 'Male bods rule, bud’.”

Elsa can’t help it anymore. She busts out laughing at the pair and both of them jolt in surprise.

“What?” Kristoff frowns.

Anna matches his expression. “What’s so funny?”

Elsa shakes her head, unable to answer through her hysterics as tears start falling down her face. “You guys…” she laughs “are…” she laughs more “so…” she can’t finish. She braces herself against a fence along their pathway as she continues to double over.

Anna grins in sympathy, crossing her arms once again. “I think we broke her.”

Kristoff chuckles. “Just in time. We’re here.”

Elsa straightens immediately, patting out imaginary wrinkles from her shirt and tucking loose strands of hair away.

“Are you nervous?” Anna asks, stepping closer to the blonde to take her hand and cup her cheek.

“Um. Chm,” Elsa clears her throat. “No!” she says in a high-pitch.

Anna stifles a giggle. “You are! Aww, baby, that’s so cute!”

“Ugh. Give a guy a break,” Kristoff interrupts.

Anna narrows her eyes on him, then returns her attention to Elsa. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll see. I will be right here.”

Elsa nods, giving Anna a nervous smile. “Thanks. It’s just…I haven’t been here since—w-well for a long time. And they can be a little…overwhelming sometimes.”

“Overwhelming?” Anna questions, raising her eyebrow.

“Well...” Kristoff speaks up.

“Well what?” Anna asks.

“Well…they may be my folks, but they love Elsa like a daughter and…kinda consider themselves love experts. You two are probably gonna get the relationship equivalent of a pat-down.”

Anna purses her lips to the side in thought. “Oh?” Then she smirks. “Wait. ‘Love experts’?”

“You’ll see,” Kristoff smirks back, leading them to the door.

Before Kristoff can knock, the door bursts open to reveal a short, plump woman. Her grey-streaked hair is pulled into pigtails and an apron wraps around her waist. She blinks several times, before cracking a large smile.  

“Elsa’s home!” she bellows, pushing past Kristoff, and engulfing Elsa in a bone-crushing hug. “Happy Birthday dear!”

 “Oof!” Elsa says, before patting the woman awkwardly on the back. “Th-thanks, Bulda. It’s good to see you too.”

“Such love,” Kristoff remarks, shaking his head in mock hurt as the Bulda releases Elsa. “You’d think she didn’t even have a son.”

“Oh hush,” Bulda says, her hands still on Elsa’s shoulders. “I see you almost every weekend. I haven’t seen my Elsie-poo in _years.”_

Anna fails to hold back a snort. “Elsie-poo?”

The second Bulda sees the redhead, she smiles even wider. “And she’s brought a girl!”

At that, several people file out of the house, surrounding both Elsa and Anna. Elsa blushes faintly, and moves to tuck another strand of hair behind her ear. “Hi everyone,” she says with a shy smile.

Kristoff turns to his uncle. “How does she know _I_ didn’t bring a girl home?”

His uncle raises a brow at him and laughs, saying. “Please.”

“Hey!” Kristoff protests. “I have dates!”

“Your grandmother doesn’t count,” his uncle retorts, earning several chuckles.

“Come in already!” Bulda laughs. “We need to hear all about how you met this beautiful girl!”

Nodding, Elsa hums in agreement nervously as she follows Anna and Bulda into the house, sidestepping Kristoff playing with some of his little cousins on the porch.

Bulda sits them down on a couch, centered between Anna and Elsa. “Oh my, Elsa. She’s so cute!” she says, taking Anna’s cheeks between her palms and smushing them together. “I may just have to keep you.”

Elsa coughs, trying to cover a laugh. Anna’s eyes are practically bulging out of her skull in surprise. “Actually, Auntie,” she chuckles outright. “She’s taken.”

“Well, yes, yes. Of course,” Bulda waves Elsa’s comment away, still only regarding Anna. “But look at those cute little freckles,” she pinches Anna’s cheeks, “and her little nose,” she boops it, “and those eyes!” she exclaims.

“Oh believe me,” Kristoff makes his entry, sitting on a recliner across from the couch. “Elsa knows all about all of those.”

Elsa narrows her eyes and Anna is finally released from Bulda’s grasp.

“Hush!” Bulda scolds him. “I know my Elsa was raised to be a lady. I’m sure they’ve been treating each other quite well.”

Elsa gives Kristoff a warning glare and he laughs behind his hand before covering for her. “Of course, Ma.”

“Because you know!” Bulda turns to Elsa, “what they say about a certain cow and its milk…”

Elsa’s eyes grow three times their normal size and her jaw drops. “Auntie!” she swats the woman playfully.

Bulda chuckles. “So, Anna. Tell me all about yourself. I’m sure you know that Elsa here is a bit of a fixer-upper, but—“”

“Hey, Ma, take it easy,” Kristoff chuckles with her, patting the air.

Elsa gives him a silent ‘thank you’ with her eyes, and he gives her a subtle nod in return.

Luckily Anna is still distracted by Bulda invading the better part of her personal space by checking her teeth.

Elsa smirks. _Kristoff might not have been too far off about the pat-down._

“Um, Auntie…maybe you could, take it easy? I’d like to take Anna home in one piece,” chuckles Elsa as Bulda pinches the redhead’s cheeks once again.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Bulda says, pulling away. Anna mouths ‘thank you’ and the blonde chuckles again. Bulda looks back and forth between the two of them, beaming. She’s about to start pestering them again when one of Kristoff’s cousins pops his head around the corner.

“Auntie, something’s burning in the kitchen!” he yells, and Bulda immediately pops up.

“My spinach puffs!” she says, running out of the room. Both Elsa and Kristoff smirk, the woman’s antics being nothing new to them.  

“Wow,” Anna huffs, smiling at Elsa. “You guys weren’t kidding.”

Kristoff laughs. “Oh you have no idea. Just wait till dinner,” he says, walking off, and leaving the two girls alone.

“I’m sorry about Aun—I-I mean, Bulda. She can be a little much sometimes, and—” Elsa starts apologizing, but Anna cuts her off with a quick kiss.

“She’s great, Els. Really,” says Anna. “I’m really glad you decided to bring me along today. I can tell how much they mean to you.”

Elsa smiles, feeling a blush in her cheeks. “Th-thanks. I’m glad you’re here too. Even if Kristoff made me come. I mean really, I don’t need some big party. So I’m twenty-two. Big deal!”

“Oh stop it, you know you love the attention,” Anna chuckles, giving Elsa a small shove. “Um, hey, what, uh, what was Bulda talking about earlier? With the whole ‘fixer-upper’ thing?”

All the blood immediately drains from Elsa’s face. “U-um, n-nothing,” she stammers. Anna raises her eyebrows unconvinced. “Really. She’s just…you know what, I’m starving. Why don’t we go see if dinner’s ready?”

Elsa stands quickly, turning away from Anna, only to nearly run into Olaf.

“What? You ashamed of me?” Olaf quips.

Elsa can’t help but flinch, and attempts to walk straight through him, but she trips on him instead. _Am I getting worse?_ she wonders.

“Ow!” Olaf rubs his nose gingerly. “That hurt.”

“Els, you okay?” Anna asks, helping her get back up.

Elsa almost wants to laugh at what Anna must have just seen—it probably just looked like Elsa tripped over her own two feet. And she had been doing so well around Anna. Not one slip up. Until now.

“Yeah,” she says, dusting herself off. “I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Anna smiles softly, dropping the subject. Thankfully. “Man those spinach puffs smell awesome. Let’s go!” Anna takes her hand. Though the redhead could have simply walked straight forward, she turns slightly and maneuvers around Olaf. Elsa wonders if she could become any whiter, feeling the blood drain from her face once again. She’d only had this feeling once before in her life—when Kristoff had acknowledged Anna’s existence.

The two women enter the dining room, but Elsa pulls her hand from Anna’s. The redhead turns to look at her in concern. “You okay, Els?”

Elsa give’s Anna a shaky smile. “I-I’m fine. I just, uh, need a moment. I haven’t been around this many people in a long time.” she half-lies.

Anna gives Elsa a worried look, but nods at the woman. “Okay. I’ll just find us a seat then.”

Elsa gives her another small smile before she walks off towards the bathroom. She locks the door, and leans back against it. _What the hell was that?! Why did Anna walk around him? Can…can she see him?_

Elsa shakes her head, and walks over to the sink, splashing some cold water on her face. She looks up at herself in the mirror, wincing at the crazed look in her eyes.

_No. You’re not doing this, Elsa. You are_ not _going to start believing that he’s real again. That, my friend, is_ exactly _how you landed yourself in a mental institution the first time._ Elsa closes her eyes, taking several shaky breaths. She was not about to have another panic attack. Not here. Not now.

_Okay, Elsa, rationalize this._ _She didn’t walk around Olaf. No, she just…walked around the coffee table. Yeah, that’s it. Because there’s no way she can see Olaf. Because Olaf doesn’t exist._

Elsa forces herself to take several deep breaths, and splashes her face a few more times. After a few minutes, she feels calm enough to return to the dining room. She sits down between Anna and Kristoff, both of them giving her a look of concern.

“You okay?” Kristoff leans in to whisper. “Anna told me you seemed a little stressed.”

Elsa pats his arm and gives him a small smile. “I’m fine,” she says. “I just needed a moment.”

Kristoff looks at her, unconvinced, but doesn’t push the subject, though somehow Elsa knows that this isn’t the last she’ll hear of it. She suddenly feels someone take her hand and give it a small squeeze. She looks up to see Anna giving her a small smile. Elsa smiles back, and grips her hand tighter. Just then, Bulda comes flying into the room—along with several of Kristoff’s cousins who were coerced into helping—carrying several trays.

“Wow, that’s a lot of food,” Anna whistles, her eyes widening to the size of saucers.

“Well there are a lot of people here, Anna,” Elsa giggles. “It would make sense for there to be a lot of food.”

“Shut up,” Anna chuckles, lightly shoving the blonde. Elsa giggles again, before leaning over to peck Anna’s cheek, causing the redhead’s eyes to widen further in surprise. Elsa can’t really blame her. After all, most of the time it’s Anna who initiates any affection between them. Elsa is still trying to get used to the fact that she’s actually dating someone.

“Elsa dear, I know she’s a cutie pie, but do you think you could keep the PDA to a minimum?” teases Bulda, causing both girls to blush intensely.

“Y-yes. Sorry, Auntie,” Elsa stammers, earning a laugh from Kristoff, who pats her on the back.

“Ma, stop it,” he chuckles. “If you keep teasing her, she may never stop blushing.”

Elsa turns and sticks her tongue out at Kristoff, causing him to start laughing again. Bulda just smiles, chuckling to herself as she arranges the massive amounts of food on the table, before taking her seat, along with everyone else.  Anna reaches for a roll, but Elsa stops her, shaking her head slightly with a smirk.

“Hold on,” she whispers to the redhead. “We’re stilling waiting on someone.”

“Who?” Anna whispers back, bringing her hand to her lap.

Elsa opens her mouth to answer when suddenly the dining room becomes dead quiet as a short, old man hobbles into the room, taking his place at the head of the table. The man turns and smiles at Elsa, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling.

“Pabbie,” Elsa beams at the old man.

“Elsa! It’s so good to see you again! Come over here and give old Pabbie a hug,” he rumbles, and the blonde quickly stands to comply, humming with happiness when she feels the comforting warmth of his arms.

“I’ve missed you, Pabbie,” she sighs, pulling away.

“Me too, child. Me too. It’s good to see you happy again. I’m glad you’ve finally come home,” he responds, patting her shoulder. Elsa gives him a half-smile, hoping Anna didn’t catch that little slip up. She gives him another hug before returning to her seat.

“Kristoff!” Pabbie exclaims, causing Anna to jump, and Kristoff to smile. “You’ve grown since the last time I saw you!”

Kristoff chuckles at his grandfather. “Pabbie, you saw me last week.”

“So? You can’t have grown since then?” challenges the older man, and Kristoff shakes his head chuckling again, but doesn’t answer. Anna giggles behind her hand at the scene in front of her, drawing Pabbie’s attention to herself.

“And who is this lovely young lady?” questions Pabbie, and Elsa blushes faintly.

“She’s, um, she’s my—”

“She’s Elsie’s girlfriend!” interrupts one of the younger children, and both Elsa and Anna turn cherry red. Pabbie laughs a deep, rumbling laugh, turning towards the two girls.

“Is that so?” he chuckles.

“Chm,” Anna clears her throat awkwardly. “Y-yes, sir.”

“Sir? No, no, no, dear, call me Pabbie. Everyone does,” the old man smiles at her.

“U-um, okay, uh, Pabbie,” Anna says uncertainly.

Pabbie laughs again before asking “And what’s your name, child?”

Anna blushes again, causing Elsa to giggle. “Oh, it’s, um, it’s Anna. Anna Christiansen.”

“Anna-anna Christiansen?” he asks.

“Oh!” Anna shakes her head. “No, just Anna.”

“Justanna?”

“Uhh, uh, Anna. Anna.”

“Well which is it, dear?” Pabbie frowns at her. “Anna or Anna-anna or Justanna?”

“Paaaabbie!” Elsa rolls her eyes with a grin. “Stop giving her a hard time, please.”

Pabbie chuckles. “I’ve been caught. It’s wonderful to meet you, Miss Anna Christiansen. You are most welcome. Well?” he fixes his attention on the rest of the family. “What’s everybody waiting on me for? Let’s eat!”

All at once, the entire family digs in, stealing dishes away from one another to fill their plates, and calling across the dining room for this or that.

Elsa stops a casserole before it’s passed to offer the redhead something on her plate, and Anna smiles, nodding.

“They’re quite lively,” Anna remarks, almost whispering to Elsa.

“Yes,” Elsa chuckles. “So different than the, uh…household…I grew up in, actually. My parents were loving, but very proper.”

“Mmm,” Anna hums with a blank expression.

“I uh,” Elsa continues. “I kind of adopted Kristoff’s family when I met him, as much as they adopted me. They were good about…” _letting me feel_ “letting me be myself.”

Anna smiles as she adds some salt and pepper to her meal. “I hope you feel that way around me, Els.”

Elsa stops, her fork half-way to her mouth, and regards Anna. Her brows are scrunched and her eyes are still far-off. “I-I do,” Elsa admits. Kristoff is the only one she’s ever felt as close to as she does Anna. And…this is different. She wants to tell Anna things she’s never told Kristoff, she wants to be with her all the time, and…most importantly she wants Anna to accept her for who—maybe _what_ —she is, even if that means accepting a few loose screws too. What’s the point of only being half-loved?

Kristoff frowns at the pair. “You two look like you’ve been assigned a word problem or something.”

Elsa snaps out of it, rolling her eyes. “Shush.”

“Oh it’s ‘shush’ here?” Kristoff grins. “When we’re home it’s STFU, but I guess we’re all behaving at the moment,” he laughs.

“STFU?” Bulda asks.

Kristoff’s eyes widen. “N-nothing, Ma!”

Bulda tsks and continues serving one of her nephews.

Anna chuckles, leaning into Elsa to whisper in her ear. “Well, that S him TFU.”

Elsa laughs under her breath, jabbing Anna gently in the ribs. “Quiet you,” she chuckles, patting the redhead’s knee.

Anna’s knee jolts, hitting the table enough to make some of the dishes clatter.

Somewhere around twenty eyes fix themselves on the redhead and she chuckles nervously, waving as she says “Sorry.”

Elsa’s eyes are wide and she’s blushing, while Kristoff laughs. “Ticklish, Anna?” he asks.

Anna blushes scarlet. “Um. Yes. Ticklish. Heh. The tablecloth,” she offers an explanation, chuckling awkwardly still.

Bulda smiles at them, and finally begins to serve herself a plate as the rest of the family renews their conversations.

“Thanks,” Anna whispers to Kristoff. She turns to Elsa. “And _you_ —watch the hands,” she chuckles under her breath.

Elsa tucks in her lips, trying not to break out into hysterics. “Sorry,” she whispers back.

Anna hums. “I don’t think you really are, but now is not the time nor place, _dear_.”

“Hey!” Kristoff stage-whispers to them both. “Ya might wanna stop whispering or they’ll figure out you guys are flirting shamelessly!”

“Oh, balderdash,” Bulda tsks again. “Leave them be, Kristoff. It’s cute,” she smiles warmly at Elsa, who turns scarlet.

“Th-thanks, Auntie…I think.”

*****line break*****

“Man! I’m stuffed! That was great, Ma!” exclaims Kristoff, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his stomach.

“Yeah, Mrs. Bjorgman,” Anna nods in agreement. “Probably the best dinner I’ve ever had.”

“Please, just Bulda’s fine. Or Auntie. Whichever you prefer,” Bulda smiles, waving Anna off. “And I hope you two aren’t too full. We still have dessert.”

At that, both Kristoff and Anna sit up straight, a hungry gleam in their eyes. Elsa giggles at them behind her hand, though she can’t really blame them. Bulda’s desserts are legendary.

“That’s what I thought,” chuckles Bulda, standing. “I’ll just go grab it real fast.”

The short woman scoots her way towards the kitchen, grabbing empty plates here or there as the rest of the family finished their dinners. A few minutes later, she reemerges, carrying an _enormous_ chocolate cake, with the words “Happy Birthday, Elsie-Poo” scrawled across the top in cursive, along with several lit candles.

As she walks, she begins to sing, the rest of the family joining her immediately, causing Elsa’s cheeks to burn. When she finishes the song, she places the cake in front of Elsa with a large smile.

“Go ahead! Make a wish,” she encourages Elsa, who smiles back before closing her eyes. _I wish I could be normal. Just once,_ she pleads quietly. After a moment, she opens her eyes, and quickly blows out the candles, earning a cheer from the table. Bulda then makes quick work of removing the candles, and serving everyone a piece of the cake.

“Mhmm!” Anna purrs, a large smile on her face. “Oh my God, Bulda, this is like, the best cake I’ve ever had in my entire life! I think it might even rival Oaken’s!”

“Why thank you dear,” Bulda says with a large smile for her in return. “But I wouldn’t tell him that. He’s been known to throw people out,” she looks pointedly at Kristoff, who raises his hands in surrender.

“Hey, I stand by what I said!” he defends, a smile on his face. “$5.00 is _way_ too much for a teeny, tiny truffle.”

Bulda only rolls her eyes, and continues serving the cake before taking a piece for herself. After a few more minutes of scraping forks, and contented sighs, everyone begins to clean up their plates, and head out to the living room. Elsa takes Anna’s hand, and leads her to the couch, snuggling up close to the redhead. Anna smiles, and places a kiss on top of her head, before settling into her seat.

“All right!” claps Pabbie from his recliner. “I do believe it is time for presents! Who would like to go first?”

Several hands fly into the air, and Elsa blushes again, surprised that so many of them cared enough to get her something. Pabbie chuckles looking around the room. Eventually, his gaze settles on a group of the younger children, who are waving their hands in the air as if their lives depended on it.

“Hmm, how about you four? Would you like to give Elsa her first present?” he smiles, and the four children squeal, indicating that they did, indeed, want to go first. Pabbie chuckles again, and waves them on.

The children shyly walk up to Elsa, one present held between the four of them. “Here,” the lead one says, shoving it at her. “This is for you.”

Elsa giggles, accepting the gift, and thanking the children, who all giggle and run off back to their parents. Elsa chuckles at them before looking at the poorly wrapped present. It was actually quiet endearing.

“Well, go on,” Anna nudges with a smile. “Open it.”

Elsa smiles, before quickly tearing the paper off, only to reveal a box filled with handmade paper snowflakes that were decorated with glitter and drawings. Elsa picks one up, beaming at the four children.

“Thank you!” she says sincerely. “They’re beautiful!”

“I did the purple one!” one of the little girl brags.

“Mine’s the blue one! Like your eyes!” another beams at Elsa.

“Looks like I have some competition,” Anna chuckles in Elsa’s ear, making Elsa shiver from the warmth of her breath.

“Who’s next?” Pabbie asks the room.

“Elsa, happy birthday, dear,” Bulda says, giving Anna a box to hold as she takes Elsa’s face between her hands for a good smushing. “We love you so much.”

Elsa feels herself well-up a little. “Thanks, Auntie. “

Bulda grins. “Open it first, dear, then thank me,” she laughs, returning to her chair, and waiting on the edge of her seat.

“Oh right!” Elsa laughs too. She unfolds the wrapping paper neatly, appreciating the glimmer too much to ruin it.

“Slow,” Kristoff comments, earning a shove from Anna.

Elsa opens a box to reveal a pair of ice-blue mittens with a matching scarf, a snowflake pattern decorating each end.

“I’m sensing a theme here,” Anna smiles as she appreciates the scarf.

Elsa nods, grinning up at Bulda. “Thank you, Auntie! I love them!”

Bulda gives her a warm smile then turns to Anna. “Elsa has always loved the winter, as long as I’ve known her, which is pretty much twenty-two years now,” she chuckles.

Elsa is already donning the mittens and twirls the scarf around her neck, smacking Kristoff in the face with it. “Heh,” she smiles cheesily at him. “Sorry, Kris.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mock-glares. “Here’s one from me,” he says, handing her an envelope.

Elsa furrows her brows at him, wondering what it could be.

“Actually, it’s from both of us,” Kristoff says, nodding toward Anna.

Elsa turns to smile at Anna, cupping her cheek, before she opens the envelope. She pulls out two tickets. “We…” she reads one ticket’s name—Anna Christiansen—and then her own. “We’re going to…Vancouver?!” she says, her eyes widening in surprise.

Anna grins. “Kris and I pitched in for yours, and I could use a vacation with my gorgeous girlfriend.”

“It’s too much!” Elsa says, looking back and forth between the two. “I mean, Kris, are you sure—”

“I’m sure,” Kristoff cuts her off pointedly.

Elsa blinks at him, wondering why he has such sudden faith in her. Never mind that, how did he get permission for her to leave the country, let alone the city without him?

Knitting her brows, Elsa turns back to Anna. “Anna, we’ve only been dating for—”

“I know, not that long,” Anna holds Elsa’s hands in hers, “but I wanted to do something special for you, and like I said, it’ll be a long overdue vacation for me too. Besides, it’s not for a few weeks, so it won’t feel so sudden. Please say ‘yes’?” she asks, bringing Elsa’s hands up to give her knuckles a brief, chaste kiss.

Elsa blushes, knowing all eyes are on the pair. “Um…okay…yes!” she grins, promptly glomping Anna into a fierce hug, causing the girl to yelp in surprise.

Anna pats Elsa’s back, chuckling. “Glad you’re happy, baby.”

Elsa pulls back to look into her eyes, finding herself happier than she’s ever been. “Immensely,” she says, resting her forehead on her girlfriend’s.

“A-chm!” Kristoff coughs and Elsa turns her grin back to him, tackling him in another fierce hug. “Thank yoooouuuu!” she squeezes him tight.

Kristoff laughs, and mimics Anna’s earlier pat on her back. “No prob, Els. You deserve it. Have fun.”

The rest of the presents go by quickly, Elsa being extremely grateful for each of them. Eventually, Bulda starts cleaning up all the wrapping paper and instructs the kids and Kristoff to start cleaning up after dinner.

Anna gives Elsa a quick peck on the cheek. “I’m gonna go help.”

“I’ll help too,” Elsa moves to stand, but Anna rests her hand on Elsa’s shoulder.

“No you relax, baby. It’s your birthday,” she says, caressing her jawline sweetly before leaving.

Elsa smiles after her, her gaze lingering a tad bit longer on her backside than was maybe appropriate.

“Chm,” she hears someone clear their throat, and she jumps, immediately turning bright red. Elsa turns around to see Pabbie smiling at her with a knowing look.

“Elsa, dear, would you mind if I spoke to you for a moment? Alone?” he asks and she nods her head, following him down the hall. She wonders what in the world Pabbie would want to say to her that he couldn’t say in front of everyone else.

Pabbie leads her towards an empty corner, turning to face her, his face unusually grim. “U-um, Pabbie?” Elsa says softly.

“She doesn’t know, does she?” Pabbie says, and Elsa feels the blood drain from her face. Pabbie shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I thought not,” he says, looking up. “Elsa you need to tell her. It’s not fair to the girl for you to keep this from her. You were raised better than this, young lady.”

Elsa hangs her head in defeat. “I know, Pabbie. I just…I haven’t found the right time yet. I mean, how do you tell someone you spent the past thirteen years in a mental institution? Or that you sometimes see random people that aren’t there?”

Pabbie places a gentle hand on Elsa’s shoulder. She looks upat the older man, hoping that he has the answer. Pabbie gives Elsa a small squeeze.

“Sometimes there is no right time, child,” he says gently. “Sometimes the only thing you can do is speak. Everyone has their ghosts, their skeletons, and just as you share your light with her, you  must share your dark. Anna is a lovely young woman. I’m sure she will understand.”

“And if she doesn’t?” Elsa looks at him, tears beginning to prick at her eyes. “I’m scared, Pabbie,” she whispers. “I really, _really_ like her, but I’m afraid that if I tell her she’ll leave me.”

Pabbie nods his head in understanding. “I know you are, Elsa. But let me tell you something,” he lifts her chin, using his forefinger, “The past is in the past. You are a smart, charming, beautiful young woman, and if Anna can’t see that, if she can’t accept all of you, then she doesn’t deserve any of you.” 

Elsa finally allows a few tears to fall at Pabbie’s words which are quickly wiped away by the old man.

“Tell her,” he says firmly. “She might just surprise you.”

Elsa nods, sniffing and wiping at her face, before pulling Pabbie into a hug. The old man chuckles, returning the embrace, before pulling back and patting her cheek.

“Good. Now that that is taken care of, I can tell you the real reason I pulled you aside,” Pabbie says, causing Elsa to cock her head in confusion. Pabbie smiles at her.

“I haven’t given you your birthday present yet,” he says, still smiling. “I was going to give you this on your twenty-first birthday, but, obviously there were…extenuating circumstances. It’s something my mother passed on to me, and her mother to her, and so on. And now, I’d like to pass it on to one of my children.”

Elsa blinks in surprise, trying to stop more tears from falling when she realizes that Pabbie just called her his child. She could never express just how much it means to her. She clears her throat. “Chm, um, what is it, Pabbie?”

Pabbie’s smile widens, before handing her a small box. Elsa looks at it curiously before taking it. She looks up at Pabbie uncertainly, and he waves at her to continue.

“Go on,” he says, “Open it.”

Elsa does so, slowly peeling off the wrapping paper to reveal a small black box. She carefully lifts the lid, and gasps, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. Inside sat a _beautiful_ snowflake pendant, attached to a simple chain.

“I figured you would like it. After all, I know how much you love winter,” Pabbie chuckles.

“Oh, Pabbie,” Elsa exclaims. “It’s beautiful, but…I can’t accept this! It...it should go to Bulda! Or one of your other daughters!”

Pabbie smiles. “I’ve already spoken about this with them, and they all agreed it should go to you. You’ve practically been part of the family since you were a child, and now it’s official. None of them were really winter people anyways. Besides, it seems like you.”

“Are…are you sure?” Elsa says, her eyes never leaving the pendant.

“I’m sure, Elsa,” Pabbie answers. “Would you like me to help you put it on?”

Elsa looks up, and smiles, nodding enthusiastically. Pabbie laughs, and motions for her to bend down so he could fasten the necklace around her neck. He pulls back, allowing Elsa to stand straight again. She lets one finger run across the snowflake, her emotions becoming harder to control.

“It looks beautiful on you, Elsa,” Pabbie smiles, before Elsa nearly tackles him with a hug, muttering several thank you’s as she tries not to cry. Pabbie pats her back, chuckling, before pulling back, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

“Come. They’re probably all wondering where we went,” he says, and Elsa nods, beaming like there was no tomorrow. The two walk back into the living room, and Elsa immediately goes to Anna’s side, weaving their hands together.

“Hey,” Anna says, kissing her cheek. “What’s got you so happy?”

Elsa smiles even wider, if possible, fingering the snowflake. “Nothing. It’s just been a good day.”


	9. Nine

Fall from Grace

Chapter 9

Elsa dangles a carrot in front of Sven with a giant grin on her face. “Want it?” she asks.

“That’s what he said,” Anna whispers to herself then laughs at her own joke.

Elsa rolls her eyes without even acknowledging the comment.

Sven seems to grin back, but Elsa has been working on a trick with him the past week, and thinks today is the day they master it. “Okay, Sven. Now!” 

Sven jumps up on his hind legs.

“Agh!” Anna jumps back. “What’s he doing?!”

Elsa holds out her arms as if she’s conducting a symphony. “Good boy…and…?”

Sven jumps, shifting so that he balances on his front legs now.

Anna’s eyes are roughly the size of Jupiter.

Elsa grins and squeals. “You did it, Sven! Good booooyyy!” she gives him the carrot and pets him enthusiastically.

“How the hell did you get him to do that?!” Anna exclaims, causing Elsa to chuckle. “Seriously! I can barely get him to switch pins so I can clean them out!”

“You just have to give him incentive,” giggles Elsa, petting Sven’s nose.

“Incentive my ass,” Anna mumbles, crossing her arms. “Are you sure you’re not some kind of Disney Princess or something?”

Elsa raises an eyebrow at Anna.

“Princess?” she questions. “I distinctly remember you telling Oaken that I am nothing less than a Queen.”

Anna rolls her eyes at the blonde, smiling and giving her a soft shove. “Oh hush. I never would’ve said it if I’d known it’d go to your head.”

Elsa raises her hand to her chest in mock hurt. “Are you saying that I am, in fact, _not_ a Queen?”

Anna opens her mouth to respond when she’s suddenly lifted into an enormous bear hug by an unknown assailant. Elsa’s eyes bulge, and she’s about to run over and help the redhead until she notices that Anna doesn’t look worried at all. In fact, it seemed that Anna actually knew the man who had nearly tackled her.

“Hans!” she squeals in mock irritation. “Put me down! Now!”

The man behind her chuckles, giving her one last squeeze, before setting her down on her feet. Anna immediately turns on him, a smile on her face as she throws her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. Elsa narrows her eyes at the exchange, a strange, white-hot feeling bubbling in her chest. No one was allowed to hug _her_ girlfriend like that.

Anna pulls away, and scowls, punching his shoulder. “You ass!” she huffs.

“Ow!” he exclaims, rubbing his shoulder, “What the hell was that for?”

“Cheating! You know work hours are off limits!” Anna responds, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

“So is paying off the chocolate man to keep quiet!” retorts Hans, a smile playing at his lips.

“Where in the rules does it say that? Cause I sure as hell don’t remember that being a rule,” Anna smirks, crossing her arms. “You’re just mad cause I thought of it first. Now pay up!”

“Whatever!” Hans huffs, smiling fully now. “You didn’t win!”

“I did too! You cheated, that means you lost!” Anna points a finger at him. “So hand it over!”

Hans grumbles, before pulling a twenty out of his wallet and handing it to the smug redhead. He then gives her another smile, pulling her back into arms, and kissing the top of her head, before ruffling her hair. The strange feeling bubbles up again, and Elsa glares at the man, crossing her arms in anger. She _did not_ like this man. At all.  

He seems to notice her and frowns, looking down at Anna who, much to Elsa’s chagrin, is _still. In. His. ARMS._

“Who’s the babe?” he asks with a smirk.

Anna pushes him away and delivers another blow to his shoulder, none too gently. “Charming,” she mock-glares. “This is Elsa,” she motions toward the blonde and her eyes soften.

“She’s hot,” Hans says bluntly, earning another punch from Anna. “Ow!” he pouts. “Bitch.”

“Jerk,” Anna responds automatically.

Elsa’s lips are pursed to the side in the most discreet pout she can manage. Why hadn’t Anna introduced her as her girlfriend? She’d had no problem with that label at her birthday party a week ago. Her eyes are still narrow as she looks the man over. His attire is business casual—he even sports a tie—. She hates to admit it, but his look is flawless except for those hideous sideburns.

Hans smiles knowingly between Anna and Elsa. “And how do we know Elsa, Anna dear?” Hans seems to be sizing her up as well, and Elsa can’t help but narrow her eyes on him once again at the sound of him calling Anna ‘dear.’

Only she was allowed to call her that.

Anna smirks and rolls her eyes. “She’s the one that’s taking advantage of your darling sister. Who do you think, Hans?” 

_Huh?_ Elsa cocks her head to the side in bewilderment. Last she checked, she wasn’t taking advantage of anyone’s…. _oh wait…_

“Oh good!” Hans becomes ecstatic. “You’re finally getting laid!”

“Ugh! Shut up, Hans! That’s none of your business!” Anna punches him a few times this time around.

He rubs his shoulder. “Ow! Would you stop! Sheesh, Anna. I guess that means you’re _not_ getting any. You’re not usually this mean unless you’re sexually frust—Ow!”

Anna socks him again, this one giving off a loud _SMACK!_

“Asshole,” mutter’s Anna, both her and Elsa’s face’s a deep shade of red.

“Damn it, Anna,” Hans scowls. “That really hurt!”

“What are you gonna do? Tell almighty Father?” Anna asks him with a sarcastic pout.

“Bully,” he laughs with a mock-glare. “Okay,” Hans straightens, and pats himself down in an obvious attempt to sober. “Since my sister is apparently incapable of a proper introduction, I’ll take the lead. Hans Christiansen,” he holds out his hand and a baffled Elsa takes it, “Anna’s older brother.”

“Elsa…Arendelle,” the blonde blinks away her bewilderment, and looks toward Anna.

Anna smiles sweetly at her. “Sorry, Els. We’ve been playing an epic game of hide and seek involving the entire city or I would have introduced you guys sooner. Plus, let’s be honest: this guy,” she grins at him as she motions at him with her thumb, “gets on my nerves.”

“As any brother must make it his solemn duty,” Hans gives a bow. “And _les-b-honest_ ,” Hans says, grinning back at Anna. “You were nervous about introducing the girlfriend, weren’t ya? Are you ashamed of me?” he pouts with a lip protruding, and flutters sad eyes at her.

“Ugh, you’re such a dweeb.” Anna rolls her eyes again.

“She said lovingly,” Hans smirks. “Anyways, I was just stopping by to say hi—”

“And to give up,” Anna interrupts, earning a glare from Hans.

“ _And_ ,” he says, ignoring her, “To tell you that Eugene’s in town. Says he’d like to hang out sometime.”

“Sure!” Anna says brightly. “Just let me know when!”

“Yeah, for sure. Anyways, I have to get going. I have a meeting with father in about an hour, and you know how he feels about me being late.”

Anna nods her head in agreement. “Yeah, you better get going then. I’ll see you later, and uh—” she waves the twenty in front of his face, sporting a large smirk, “—thanks for the cash.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Hans waves her off, giving her another bear hug, before turning to Elsa. “It was nice to meet you, Elsa. You take good care of my sister, you hear?” he says, shaking her hand, causing Anna to blush.

Elsa smiles at him, all her hate long dissipated. “I’ll do my best,” she says, releasing his hand.

Hans nods once, smiling back, before turning to leave. He offers one last goodbye as he hops in his car and drives off. Anna waves, then turns back to Elsa. The blonde, now feeling incredibly stupid for thinking Anna would have eyes for anyone else, has folded her arms around her middle, and refuses to look at the redhead.

“Els?” Anna says, a frown pulling at her lips. “What’s wrong?”

Elsa looks anywhere but Anna’s eyes. “You didn’t introduce me as you’re girlfriend. And you never told me you had a brother.” The blonde knows it’s selfish of her to expect Anna to share all aspects of her life, when she herself couldn’t bring herself to do the same.

Anna’s silent for a moment, before using her thumb and forefinger to tilt Elsa’s chin up, forcing her to look into the redhead’s eyes. “You were jealous, weren’t you?” Anna asks, a smile playing at her lips.

Elsa gulps, immediately turning bright red. “W-wha—n-no!” she stammer’s unconvincingly. Anna laughs, cupping the blonde’s cheek.

“Oh my God, you _so_ were!” she exclaims, and Elsa pulls away, grumbling indignantly.

“Aw, Els. Don’t be like that,” Anna chuckles, wrapping her arms around Elsa from behind. “It’s actually really cute.”  

“Shut up,” Elsa huffs, though she smiles leaning back into Anna’s embrace. Anna giggles, then kisses Elsa’s shoulder.

“You know I have eyes only for you,” she purrs into Elsa’s ear, and the blonde shivers at the feeling of Anna’s breath ghosting over her. Elsa turns her head, looking into Anna’s eyes, before connecting their lips in a deep kiss.

“Anna!” someone yells, causing both girls to jump, and turn beet red. “Quit makin’ out wit ye girlfriend, and git back ter work!”

Anna huffs, before turning towards her boss. “Jeez, Mer! You think you could give a girl a break?!”

“Nope!” her boss replies with a laugh. “Now hurry up and clean out te stalls. Ye know how Sven gits if his pins aren’t clean.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Anna calls back, before muttering “ya Work Nazi.”

“I heard that!” her boss calls back, and Anna chuckles nervously at getting caught, before turning to Elsa.

“I gotta go,” she pouts. “I’ll see you later tonight?”

“Of course,” Elsa smiles. Anna gives her one last kiss, before taking off towards the back of the petting zoo.

Elsa is still smiling after Anna when she gets a text from Kristoff.

**_Kris: Yo!_ **

Elsa smirks.

**_Elsa: What up?_ **   
**_Kris: Was gonna ask you the same. You ready for tonight?_ **   
**_Elsa:  I think so._ **

Elsa puts her phone back in her peacoat’s pocket, displaying a half-frown. She had told Pabbie she would reveal everything to Anna and had decided that since it’d been a month since her and Anna had started dating, she better make good on her promise.

Her phone blips.

**_Kris: I’m back home if you need to talk._ **

Elsa nods, though he can’t see her, taking a deep breath. _Okay. Tonight’s the night._

*****line break*****

“Okay. Let’s go over it again,” Kristoff says, his game face on.

“Anna,” Elsa recites. “I need to tell you something.”

“What is it, Elsie-poo?” Kristoff says in a high-pitched tone.

Elsa turns toward him with a deadpan expression. “Kristoff. Seriously.”

Kristoff stifles a laugh. “Sorry! Sorry. Couldn’t resist. Okay, let’s go again,” he sobers. “What is it, Elsa?” he says in his normal voice, continuing their role-play session in preparation for tonight.

Elsa narrows her eyes on him, but continues. “I’ve been dealing with some medical issues for a long time—mental medical issues.”

Kristoff’s brows scrunch. “What kind? What are you talking about, Elsa?”

“I…I see things sometimes, Anna. I see a boy, about nineteen years old.”

Tilting his head to the side, Kristoff scrutinizes the floor. “Oh. Um…are you under any sort of treatment?”

“Well…” Elsa clears her throat. “I lived in a behavioral health institute for a number of years growing up. My parents didn’t know how to deal with it. My dad’s only solution was for me to,” she air-quotes, “’Conceal. Don’t Feel. Don’t let it show.’ As you can imagine, that wasn’t an entirely healthy environment and the state took over. And uh, Kristoff is my best friend, but…he’s also my counselor…I mean, my therapist and state-assigned psychiatrist.”

Elsa takes a gulping breath, having spit it all out.

Kristoff breaks character for a moment. “I would go with counselor. The state-assigned thing sounds so clinical and this is already a lot to take in for her.”

Elsa nods and continues. “And uh, one more thing—I’m taking a mild anti-psychotic. It’s mostly preventative and meant to treat anxiety that accompanies any of my other…issues…”

Kristoff nods, taking a calming breath. “Good. You got it all out. Now, tonight, she might have questions, and so you might not be able to simply say it all at once. That’s okay. Let the conversation flow naturally and honestly. Just be sure to get it all said so that everything is out in the open from now on. Okay?”

Elsa swallows hard. “O-Okay.”

“You can do this, Els,” Kristoff says with confidence she envies, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he stands.

“Thanks, Kris,” she smiles half-heartedly. Her mind races with the possible outcomes her conversation with Anna tonight could yield. She might surprise her, like Pabbie said. She might even fully accept her and it could be the best thing for their relationship to date. Or…This might be the last night she ever sees Anna.

Elsa closes her eyes, trying to shut out that possibility. In all honesty? She’s not really sure she would be able to handle Anna leaving. It would…it would break her. And this time she’s not sure she would recover. She’s not sure she would care enough to even try, as unhealthy as that might be.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you tell her?” Kristoff asks with concern in his voice. “I don’t mind. I could even tell her if you want.”

“No,” Elsa shakes her head in determination. “This needs to come from me.”

Kristoff nods slowly. “All right.”

Deciding she needs a distraction from her sweating palms and her pounding heart, she walks toward her room. “I’m gonna get dressed for our date. Thanks again, Kris,” she says, and shuts her door behind her.

She walks to the foot of her bed and let’s herself fall face-first onto it. “Unnnnnngg,” she groans. _This is gonna suck some major ass_ , she admits to herself. _Fuck._

*****line break*****

“So,” Kristoff grins at them. “One month! You two excited?”

Anna beams at Elsa. “I have a _very_ special night planned,” she says, practically purring as she holds Elsa close, innuendo lacing every word.

“Uhh…” Kristoff’s eye twitches. “That is need to know and I did _not_ need to know,” he chuckles, walking off to his room.

Anna laughs, kissing Elsa briefly. “He’s too easy to tease. Ready, baby?”

“Um…yeah,” Elsa says, smiling as best she can.

Anna knits her brows. “You okay? I was only kidding, Els. I don’t expect anything from you tonight…you know…like that…” she shuffles her feet nervously while looking down at them.

Elsa’s eyes widen for a second and she smiles genuinely. _Why does she have to be so adorable?_ “Of course I know, Anna. It’s fine. Let’s go,” she smiles as she gives her a peck.

*****line break*****

“Anna?” Elsa looks around her in wonder. She…she didn’t deserve this.

Anna sidles up next to her. “You like? Happy one-month anniversary,” she kisses Elsa’s hand held in hers.

“You spoil me,” Elsa holds her cheek in her palm.

“Mmm hmm,” Anna hums, now holding her from behind. “I kinda like doing that, don’t I?”

Elsa bites her lip and grins back at her.

Anna leads her to her seat, holding it out for her and helping her push it in before taking her own seat at the adjacent edge of the table. “Actually, the super of my building, Kai, is just a really good guy. When I told him we’d be celebrating our one-month he gave me the keys to the roof.”

Elsa rests her head in her palm, gazing out at the city. She sighs contentedly. “It’s so beautiful up here.”

“You’re beautiful,” Anna comments smoothly, taking Elsa’s other hand.

Elsa rolls her eyes at her, but smiles, her lids fluttering shut when Anna leans in for a kiss.

When they pull back, Anna giggles before reaching down and pulling out a bottle of wine. “Would the lady like a drink?” she asks cheesily.

Elsa flinches. “A-actually, I, um, I can’t drink,” she says, looking away. _Stupid meds._

“What do you mean, you can’t drink? You’re over twenty-one, aren’t you? Or have you been lying to me this whole time?” Anna teases, pouring herself a glass.

_Shit_. “I-I mean, I _don’t_ drink,” Elsa corrects herself. _Smooth, Elsa. Really smooth. She won’t suspect a thing,_ she thinks sarcastically, mentally face-palming.

Anna raises an eyebrow at her, but doesn’t push the subject, instead filling up Elsa’s glass with water from a pitcher. The blonde thanks her, taking a sip as she tries to think of a way to bring up the subject of her past. Anna smiles at her, before clapping her hands together twice.

“Garçon!” she calls, and Elsa cocks her head to the side in confusion until a waiter who looks like Super Mario’s forgotten older brother comes out, carrying two covered plates.

“Bon natale! Spaghetti for da pretty ladies,” he says in a strong Italian accent as he uncovers the two plates in front of each girl.

“Thanks, Tony,” Anna giggles, and he bows, walking off to the side. Elsa picks up her fork, and is about to dig in, when Tony returns with an accordion.

“And now, a serenade,” he says, playing a few keys, before he starts to sing.

“ _Oh this is the night, it's a beautiful night_  
And we call it bella notte  
Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes  
On this lovely bella notte…” (Givot). 

Tony continues his song, and Elsa is near tears. She can’t believe Anna went to all this trouble for just their first month anniversary. She’s swimming in the deep end of happiness, hoping very much like a lunatic that she doesn’t drown. Anna is too special. She never wants to let her go. _Ever…_ _  
_

Tony finishes and graciously bows out, leaving the roof and the two girls to gaze into each other’s eyes. Before Elsa knows what’s gotten into her, she’s grasped the back of Anna’s neck, and she brings the redhead in for a kiss like her life depends on it.

Anna moans and deepens the kiss, swiping her tongue across the blonde’s lower lip, making Elsa feel butterflies in her stomach. The redhead pulls Elsa onto her lap mid-kiss so that her legs hang over one side. The blonde cups the other’s cheek before reaching to massage the base of her neck. Anna pulls back slowly, and brings their foreheads together. “Elsa…”

Elsa smiles, dipping to kiss Anna’s cheeks and sighs happily. “Anna,” she breathes the girl’s name out, wanting to simply hear it on the wind.

“Um,” Anna says, leaning back slightly to peer into Elsa’s eyes. She smiles “You know…what I said earlier…You _could_ stay the night. I-If you wanted to.”

Even in the mere moonlight of the night, Elsa can see the blush coating Anna’s cheeks and she chews her bottom lip. It’s tempting—oh, so tempting—but… “I…I don’t think…tonight,” she answers at last.

Anna playfully groans in complaint, hanging her neck back on her chair before peering at Elsa again with a disarmingly sweet smile. “Okay, Els. No pressure. When you’re ready. No sooner.”

Elsa clears her throat. “Chm. It’s just,” she begins, looking away. “I-I don’t, um…I-I mean, I’ve never…”

Anna’s eyes widen a tad. “You mean…” her brows knit in thought. “You’ve never…”

“Been with anyone…like that,” Elsa finishes for her, nodding her cheeks on fire.

Anna smiles. “Um…how did you manage that? I mean…you’re gorgeous, Els. You must have one hell of a chastity belt,” she chuckles, obviously trying to put Elsa at ease.

Elsa chuckles with her. _No one in the institute was all that appealing,_ she thinks. “It’s just never been…right,” she tells the redhead. _I…I can’t tell her. Not tonight. I want to remember tonight as it is—the happiest night of my life. I can tell her tomorrow. Is it selfish to just want us to have had one month of happiness?_

“I understand,” Anna nods, still smiling sweetly.

“Wait,” Elsa scrunches her brows together. “You’re saying that you _have_ then.”

Anna blushes scarlet, pursing her lips to the side in thought. “I…have. She was,” she pauses. “Very special to me, but I lost her.”

“Oh,” Elsa blinks, feeling a different sort of jealousy rear its ugly head than the one she had experienced earlier in the day with Hans.  “I’m…sorry,” she says. “That must have been hard.”

Anna nods as she looks into the distance, the city lights reflecting in her eyes. “It was, but…” she gazes back at Elsa, “look who I found,” she says, cupping Elsa’s cheek. The blonde smiles, dipping to kiss the redhead again.

“Lucky you,” Elsa breathes, pulling back to look into Anna’s eyes. The two women sit like that for a while, their dinner all but forgotten. _Tomorrow,_ Elsa thinks to herself, unable to bring herself to break her silence.   _I’ll tell her tomorrow._

*****line break*****

“Anna, I really do have to go,” Elsa says, breaking away from another kiss. “Kristoff’s probably waiting for me.”

“He can wait a little longer,” Anna quips, pulling the blonde’s lips back to her own. Elsa moans into the kiss, letting her eyes flutter shut for a moment, before pulling away again, earning a frustrated groan from Anna.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Elsa giggles, opening the car door.

“Fine,” Anna pouts. Elsa chuckles giving Anna one last peck, before stepping out. She waves goodbye, shaking her head as she watches the redhead peel out of the parking lot. Elsa smiles, humming to herself as she rides up the elevator to her apartment, still on a high from her date with Anna.

Eventually, Elsa finds herself opening her front door, her cheeks sore from smiling. She’s so wrapped up in her own world, she almost misses Kristoff sitting at the bar, until he speaks.

“Judging from your smile, I take it that it went well?” he says, gaining her attention.

“It went amazing, Kris,” she sighs, still smiling.

“So she took it well?” Kristoff pushes, and Elsa looks at him with confusion, until she realizes what he meant.

“Um, well, about that,” she says, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

“You _did_ tell her, didn’t you Elsa? Because we talked about this; it’s not something you can hide,” Kristoff says, his tone disapproving.

“I know,” she sighs, deflating from her high. “I just…didn’t want to ruin tonight, you know? I promise I’ll tell her tomorrow, but—” she coughs to cover the emotion leaking through her voice. “If I lose her, I want to be able to look back at tonight without it being tainted, you know?”

Kristoff gives her a sympathetic smile. “Okay, Els. Tomorrow. Promise me.”

Elsa swallows hard, but she makes eye-contact and nods. “Tomorrow. I promise.”

*****line break*****

Works Cited

Givot, George. “Bella Notte.” _Lady and the Tramp: Classic Soundtrack Series._ Peggy Lee. Sonny Burke. Digital Download.

*****line break*****


	10. Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, we are officially all caught up! Yaaay! from here on out, every update will be new! And just so's y'all know, I actually have the next couple chapters already written, and I can't wait to see what y'all think! Enjoy!

Fall from Grace

Chapter 10

Elsa sighs, resting her chin on her palm. It’s been a week since she had last seen Anna for longer than a few minutes. The girl had been incredibly busy with work since the State Fair began, and though they texted a lot, Elsa missed her redhead dearly. And because they haven’t spent any real time together, the blonde still hadn’t told Anna about her past, despite her promise to Kristoff. Elsa knew that prolonging it would only make things worse, but it’s not like she could control Anna’s work schedule. 

“I think you’re just avoiding the problem,” Olaf chimes in, and Elsa has to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

“Go away, Olaf,” she deadpans, being in no mood for his antics. Kristoff was out shopping, so she didn’t try to hide the fact that she was talking to a hallucination.

“’Go away, Olaf,’” he mimics in a high pitched voice. “It’s always ‘go away’ with you. Aren’t you _ever_ happy to see me?”

Elsa shoots the boy a glare, and he responds with a sickeningly sweet smile.

“What do you want?” she asks flatly.

“I was actually going to ask you that question,” Olaf answers. He weaves his fingers together, bringing his hands to rest in front of him as he sat across from her at the small table by the bay window.

“What do _I_ want?” Elsa asks, frowning. “I told you. I want you to go away.”

“It’s…what you wished for on your birthday too, isn’t it?” Olaf asks sadly.

“Yes,” Elsa responds with little emotion. She’s tired of this hallucination ruling her life. He’s the reason she’d grown up in a mental institute; he’s the reason she has to have a live-in counselor, even if Kristoff was her best friend; and he’s the reason she might lose Anna. That alone gave her reason enough to hate him.

Olaf looks pained. “I really do care about you, ya know. I’ve only ever tried to help you.”

Elsa scoffs and rolls her eyes as she leans back in her chair to cross her arms. She fixes a hard glare on him. “You’ve only ever hurt. You’ve only ever ruin everything, Olaf.”

Olaf swallows, looking down. “I’m…I’m sorry you feel that way, Els.”

“Don’t call me that,” Elsa snaps. “My _friends_ call me that. Anna calls me that. Not you.”

Olaf nods. “Sorry,” he says again. “If…If you really want me to go away…”

Elsa’s eyes almost imperceptibly widen. _Is he going to say what I think he’s going to say?_

“I’ll go,” Olaf finishes, looking up at her with the saddest eyes she’s ever seen him wear.

She takes a deep breath. “Um. Good.” Her heart is hammering. He’s never offered to actually leave her alone. _Will he really go away?_

“But,” Olaf says, raising his forefinger to make a final point.

 _I fucking knew it,_ Elsa grimaces.

“If you ever need me, all you have to do is think of me really hard, okay? Just make a wish that I’ll come back and I will. I…I won’t ever be far, but I won’t bother you anymore. She wins.”

Elsa’s brows rush together in a frown. _She?_ “What?” she asks, but it’s too late. He’s gone.

Elsa lets out a long exhale and holds her head in the heels of her palms. She runs her fingers in her hair, her eyes wild in uncomprehending disbelief.

_He’s gone._

*****line break*****

After her ‘conversation’ with Olaf earlier in the week, the boy had made good on his word. He hadn’t once appeared to Elsa, and she was beginning to hope that he really was gone for good. She smiles and hums a melody to herself as she makes her way to the mini petting zoo Anna’s work had set up at the State Fair. Anna was almost done with her shift and they’d decided they would have some fun before the Fair left town.

Rounding a corner, she caught sight of Sven in his temporary pin. Sometimes she was downright certain he had been a person or something in his past life. He was very much grinning at a little girl that was looking up at him in awe and reaching to pet his snout. He dipped his head gently and brought his nose closer to her. The little girl finally rested her palm on his snout and lit up, giggling with a grin from ear to ear.

Elsa’s eyes searched for a certain adorable redhead, but she couldn’t see her anywhere.

 _Strange,_ thinks to herself, but decides to wait here since it was where they’d agreed upon meeting. Maybe Anna was helping in another area and would be back by the end of her shift.

Startling her, Elsa’s vision was suddenly blacked out as two warm hands covered her eyes. “Guess who?”

“Anna?” Elsa asks, grinning and already knowing the answer.

“I have been known to go by that name,” Anna responds, and Elsa can hear the smirk that must be plastered on her lips.

“But apparently that’s not the name that will let me escape?” Elsa asks.

“That’s right,” Anna says.

Anna kisses the nape of Elsa’s neck and the blonde shivers, almost forgetting that she still had to guess. “Um…baby?” she guesses and Anna laughs.

“Close,” Anna purrs.

Then it dawns on Elsa. “Feisty Pants!” she yells in triumph.

Anna bursts into laughter and releases her captive.

Elsa grins and turns around to only be captured again, but this time Anna has thrown her arms over Elsa’s shoulders and brings them together in a kiss. Elsa forgets everything and everyone else the second their lips touch. She weaves her arms around Anna’s waist, enjoying the feel of Anna’s back as she lets her hands travel to Anna’s shoulder blades.

Anna pulls away, sighing happily. “I missed you this week. Sorry I’ve been so busy. I’m _really_ looking forward to Vancouver with you,” she grins.

Elsa blinks away the fog of her thoughts, piecing together enough to respond. “Me too,” she smiles and rests her forehead on the redheads.

“So?” Anna asks.

Elsa frowns. “So…”

“Well what do you wanna do first? There’s rides, art galleries, more animals, a rodeo, a magic show…”

“How about a ride?” Elsa suggests.

Anna nods, giving Elsa a peck and grin before leading her to their destination.

*****line break*****

“Elsa gulps as she peers down upon the hundreds of tiny people bellow.”

“What?” Elsa asks.

Anna chuckles. “Sorry. Just trying to get you to relax. You okay, Els? You’ve turned a little white.”

Elsa swallows. They’re at the peak of the Ferris wheel’s height and normally heights don’t bother her, but the wind is making them sway more than she’s completely comfortable with. She turns her head to regard Anna, and she forgets all else. She’s never felt safer than when she’s in the redhead’s company. “I’m okay,” she says. She’s lost in teal eyes that meet her own for a moment. “Really okay,” she smiles.

Anna’s eyes flick from hers to her lips. She smiles back, and leans forward for a kiss. Elsa traces Anna’s jawline as their lips slowly intertwine. Anna lets her hand rest of Elsa’s knee before she caresses the outside of her thigh, and the blonde can’t help the small gasp the action elicits.

Anna smiles on Elsa’s lips and pulls away. “Check.”

“Check?” Elsa asks, breathless and confused as to how Anna can form words right now. She can barely think straight.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Anna says. “The Ferris wheel with…someone special.”

Elsa grins on Anna’s kiss swollen lips. “Oh? Are you using me to fulfill a fantasy?”

Anna grins too. “I wouldn’t say ‘using’…”

“Hmmm,” Elsa hums, enjoying the light shade of rose dusting Anna’s freckled cheeks at her teasing.

Anna is the one swallowing hard this time as she leans away enough for them to gaze into Elsa’s eyes. “Elsa…” she says, looking as if she has something pressing to tell her.

Elsa furrows her brows softly as she continues to smile at her girlfriend. She takes Anna’s hand in hers, weaving their fingers together before she raises them to kiss Anna’s knuckles. “What is it?”

Anna gulps again. “I…I—“

“No!” Elsa whispers, horror-struck.

Anna frowns. “Huh?”

Elsa looks past the redhead, noting a familiar mop of platinum-blonde hair and a hauntingly familiar frame in the cart across from them.

Anna turns to see what distracting Elsa. “What? That guy? Do you know him?”

Elsa stammers. “I-I…” _She…she can see him?!_

The boy turns, and Elsa looks on, petrified as it happens for her in slow motion. Her heart is pumping blood through her veins at an alarming rate and she guesses her eyes have never been this wide. Then she sees his face, and… _It’s not him._ All at once, her entire body slumps, exhaustion overtaking her as her adrenaline fades. 

“Elsa? Elsa!” Anna asks, concern coating her voice. “Baby, what’s wrong? What is it? Are you sure you’re okay?”

Elsa nods, but keeps her eyes closed, taking deep breaths. She feels nauseous. “I’m…I think I’m feeling sick.”

Anna bites her lip worriedly and begins rubbing comforting circles on the blonde’s back. “Okay, Els. We’ll take care of you when we’re back down. We can get you home or give you something to eat maybe.”

Elsa tries not to think of food, but doesn’t dismiss the idea, nodding slightly.

When they’re safely on the ground, Elsa looks up, searching for the boy. She spots him and the longer she lets her eyes linger on him, the more she lets herself accept that it hadn’t been Olaf. _Even gone, he haunts me,_ she thinks, still feeling sick.

Anna braces Elsa, keeping her standing. “Come. Let’s get you some water.”

Elsa doesn’t pay attention to where they go or how Anna gets the water, but when handed the bottle, she gulps the water down. “Thanks,” she says at last, wiping her mouth dry.

Anna kneels before her, tucking a stray bit of blonde behind Elsa’s ear. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize the ride would affect you like that.”

“No,” Elsa shakes her head, feeling slightly better. “It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t even the ride,” she says before she can stop herself.

“What do you mean?” Anna asks, frowning in confusion.

“I-I…” Elsa stares at her, but she can’t bring herself to explain. Her mind is too muddled and she needs to be clear headed when she tells Anna everything. She can’t control the way Anna will react, but she can try to make her confession on the best terms possible. Now is not the best time.

“I…need some more time,” Elsa tries.

“Some…more time?” Anna asks, blinking rapidly with a frown. “I don’t understand.”

“I c-can’t explain,” Elsa shakes her head, closing her eyes. “Not yet. I need to tell you something, but not this instant. I need to think.”

“Think?” Anna shakes her head too. “Elsa what are you talking about?”

“Anna—” Elsa starts, but the redhead cuts her off.

“Don’t ‘Anna’ me, Elsa!” she exclaims, standing, before running a hand through her bangs in frustration. “Look, obviously something’s going on with you. I mean, people don’t just randomly have panic attacks in strangers’ living rooms for no reason,” Elsa flinches, “I’m sorry, but I’m tired of waiting for you to talk to me about it!”

Elsa gulps, startled by Anna’s sudden anger. “I-I just, I need some t—”

“I swear to God, Elsa if you say time…” Anna leaves off, pinching the bridge of her nose. “What is going on with you?” she says, looking up at the blonde. “You know you can tell me anything…don’t you?”

Elsa pauses, not knowing how to respond. She wants to tell Anna about Olaf, and about the mental hospital, and Kristoff, and everything. But, just now, she couldn’t do it. She was still trying to recover from her little episode on the Ferris wheel. She opens her mouth, then closes it, not knowing what to say.

Anna shakes her head, turning away from the blonde. “You know what, don’t bother,” she growls. “I’m outta here. Call me if you figure out how to be honest with me.”

Elsa watches Anna stalk off, feeling like she’s just been punched in the gut. Then it hits her. Anna’s leaving. Anna’s walking away, and she isn’t doing anything to stop her.

“Anna, wait!” she calls out, scrambling after the redhead.

Anna stops, and Elsa catches up to her. She reaches out, but the redhead flinches away. “I’m sorry,” Anna says. “I know whatever it is must be difficult to talk about. I mean, obviously, right? Otherwise this wouldn’t be an issue,” she sighs. “But…I need you to…I wish…” she falters. “I need you to trust me, Elsa. I mean, what kind of relationship is this if we can’t even be honest with each other?”

Elsa shakes her head. “I know. I-I just can’t.”

“What are you afraid of?” Anna finally meets her gaze, and the look is piercing. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Elsa looks down, unable to meet her scrutiny. “You don’t know that.”

“This is what I’m talking about, Els,” Anna says soothingly, reaching to caress Elsa’s cheek. She gives her a sad smile. “I stand by what I said. When you’re ready to talk, call me. I think until then…we should take a break.”

Anna’s words feel like a final verdict. Elsa could practically feel her closing herself off from her. “Anna…” she whispers. “Please…”

Anna smiles softly, but shakes her head. “I want all of you, Elsa. Call me, okay?” she asks. She gives her a brief peck on the blonde’s cheek. “Bye.”

Anna walks away, and this time, Elsa can’t seem to make herself follow. Everything was going wrong. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Elsa was losing her, and she can’t do anything to make it stop.

“A-Anna,” she half-whispers, her legs feeling weak. Her heart feels like it’s breaking in half. Her vision starts to blur, and she wipes at her eyes, only to have her hand come away wet.

Elsa mindlessly begins walking, not really sure where she’s going, but knowing that she can’t stay here. She feels numb. She stumbles down the street, hugging her middle like her life depended on it. _Anna’s gone,_ she thinks miserably. _Anna’s gone, and it’s all my fault._

Eventually, she finds herself in front of her apartment door. Not knowing what else to do, she knocks.

“Coming,” she hears Kristoff call, just before the door swings wide open, revealing the smiling dirty blonde. When he’s see Elsa, however, his face immediately drops in concern. He grabs her shoulders, lowering himself to her level. “Elsa, what’s wrong?”

“A-Anna,” Elsa manages, hiccupping through new tears. “S-she’s gone.”

Suddenly all of the air leaves her lungs at the admission. She’s been numb until now, but collapsing in Kristoff’s arms, she lets herself break down. She chokes on her own sobs, and on some level she recognizes Kristoff’s warm embrace as he helps her into the apartment. He asks her questions, but they fall on deaf ears. All she can feel, all she knows is grief. She waited too long and now she’s lost Anna before she ever had a chance to risk losing her in the first place.

She’s in her bed. Kristoff is covering her in a blanket, and sitting at her bedside, still trying to understand, but she can’t tell him any more than she has. What else matters, anyway?

Eventually she feels her body give in to exhaustion and she slips into unconsciousness.

*****line break*****

_Elsa is in the fog again. She’s searching for something. Running, she looks left and right. She stops, looking all around her. Finally, she looks up, hoping against all hope that she’ll find what she’s looking for. But nothing’s there. There’s nothing anywhere. She’s in an empty fog with no end in sight. She’s alone, lost._

*****line break*****

Stinging light pierces Elsa’s vision when she next opens her eyes. She reaches her hand up to block the unwelcome onslaught, and feels a slight tug. She blinks, looking down at her hand and what was constricting it. Her eyes widen in shock when she sees she’s restrained to the bed. “What?” she whispers. Then panic settles in when she notes the hospital bed, the blipping from her monitor an all too familiar sound grating on her every sensitive nerve. She tugs on the cuff, disbelieving. “Why? Why?!” she asks no one. “Kristoff!” she yells.

The burly blonde comes bounding in immediately. “Elsa! Elsa, calm down. Everything’s okay!”

“Why am I cuffed Kristoff?! What’s happening? No! NO! I’m not going back!” she continues to panic.

“Elsa, I’m begging you, calm down. Please. Deep breaths. Please,” Kristoff bends to her eye-level.

Slowly, Elsa regains control of herself. She inhales deeply, letting out a long exhale. “Why am I h-here, Kristoff? Last I remember I was in my bedroom. I-” her voice breaks. “I don’t want to go back,” she whispers, wanting to bury her face in her palms as tears threaten to break through, but is unable to because of her restraints. Despite how much what happened with Anna had hurts, she knows deep down that she can’t go back to the institute, mostly because she’s certain she’d never have the will to climb back out.

“You were in your bedroom, yes,” Kristoff nods, taking a deep breath himself. “But, Elsa, I’m obligated by law to follow certain procedures set forth by the state. I…I had no choice but to admit you to a hospital when you came home, and had such an awful episode. Now!” he puts up a finger, indicating he has more to say and to stop Elsa from panicking further. “As long as you seem to be stable today, I can take you straight home. All you have to do is tell me clearly what happened last night, and I can write down my professional and medical opinion that you should once again be released into my custody.” He sighs, “Phew! That was a lot to get out.”

Elsa swallows, blinking, and unfeeling. Maybe she should give in. Maybe the institute was her best option in reality. Anna hadn’t even officially broken up with her—not yet—and she had a complete melt down. Maybe…maybe she wasn’t fit to live a normal life.

“Elsa,” Kristoff seems to read her mind. “I know something happened with Anna, and if you were any other person off the street, I wouldn’t have had to do this. It’s only because of the past that you’re here, but you don’t have to be. Your past doesn’t have to dictate your future. So,” he takes another deep breath. “Nice short sentences. Tell me what happened. Let’s get you out of here.”

Elsa nods. “I uh…I couldn’t tell her. And she knew something was up. So…she left.” At finishing her words, Elsa can’t help but wonder if they’re set in stone. Would Anna come back? And if she did, if Elsa told her everything, would she stay?

“Okay,” Kristoff scribbles on a chart. “Good. That’s all I need, okay? Let’s get you home.”

“Okay,” Elsa nods, sniffing slightly. “Um, could you…” she tilts her head towards the cuff around her wrist.

“Oh! Yeah, of course,” Kristoff says, quickly unbuckling her wrists. “Sorry, but you know how they are.”

Elsa hums, not really paying attention. Now that she was no longer panicking at the thought of being in a hospital, all she could think about was Anna. Her red hair, her teal eyes, her many, many freckles. It’s only been a day, but Elsa already missed her.

 _What have I done_? she thinks, trying to hold back her tears. The last thing she needs is for Kristoff to see her crying again.

 _Nothing_ , she berates herself. _That’s just it. I just let her go without explaining anything to her._ She sniffs, then looks up in determination, locking eyes with Kristoff. “I’m gonna tell her.” Even just saying she will with such conviction makes her start to feel better.

“That’s what I’m talking about, Els!” Kristoff grins.

Elsa smiles and nods. _I’m not losing you when you’ve only just found me, Anna. I’m not letting go._


	11. Eleven

Fall from Grace

Chapter 11

The drive back to the apartment is filled with silence. Now that Elsa has had time to calm down, she’s angry. At Kristoff. She can’t believe he would do something like that to her. Sure, she might’ve had a rough night, but that didn’t mean he had to admit her! He knows how much she hates that place. Elsa glares out the window, watching the city fly by.

“Elsa, come on,” Kristoff tries again. The girl huffs, crossing her arms. “You know I didn’t have a choice! I could lose my job if I don’t follow the law. And where would that leave you?”

Elsa sighs. She knows he’s right. If he lost his job, she’d end up in that place indefinitely. At least she was going home. But that didn’t mean she was any less upset. When she doesn’t answer, she hears Kristoff let out a frustrated sigh, but he doesn’t say anything for the rest of the drive. When they reach their apartment, Elsa walks straight to her room, not saying a word to her roommate. She locks the door, and face-plants on her bed, letting out a groan.

_When did everything go so wrong_? Elsa lifts her head, and adjusts so she’s sitting up against the headboard, her knees tucked into her chest, and her arms wrapped around them. She rests her head on her arms, letting the events of the last two days wash over her. Why did she have to be such a coward? Why couldn’t she just tell Anna? Elsa groans again, burying her head in her knees. She needed someone to talk to. Someone who wasn’t Kristoff—who she was still quite upset with—and who obviously wasn’t Anna. She sits and thinks for a minute, when suddenly a stray thought comes into her mind.

_I wish Olaf was here._

Elsa’s head pops up at her thoughts. She didn’t just think that. She did _not_ just think that. Sure the boy had been her best friend when she was a child, but he had been the source of her pain for nearly thirteen years. So why in the _hell_ would she think that?!

Elsa looks around her room for the white-haired boy, but she doesn’t see anything. And while there is relief, Elsa’s surprised to find she also feels somewhat disappointed. Had she really wanted to see the boy? The blonde evaluates her feelings. She had wanted someone to talk to, and it had to be someone who understood. That left her three options. Her doctor at the hospital—who she’d vowed she’d never see again, stupid weasel—Kristoff, and Olaf.

The more Elsa thought about it, the more she realized that Olaf was the one person she _could_ talk to. He never judged her, and was always kind, even if he was a hallucination. _But if I bring him back, will it be so easy to make him leave again?_

Elsa pauses for a moment, before deciding she no longer cared. So what if Olaf never left her alone again? He was a part of her. Maybe not a healthy part, but a part nonetheless. And she shouldn’t have to give that up, no matter what anyone else says. Deep down, Elsa knew that this line of thinking was putting her on a one way track back to the hospital, but right now she really didn’t care.

Elsa sits up, her back straight as she closes her eyes. She’s going to do this. She’s going to bring him back. With all the conviction she can manage, Elsa thinks one single thought.

Its silent in her room, nothing seeming to have changed. Elsa cracks one eye open, only to find she’s still alone. _Damn it_ , she thinks, her brow furrowing. The one time she actually needed the boy, and she couldn’t get him to come. Why did he have to be so frustrating? Elsa takes a deep breath, closing her eyes, and tries again.

_Olaf, please. I need you. You said you’d come._

Again, nothing. Elsa frowns, letting out an angry, frustrated huff. _Damn it Olaf, NOW!_

“All right, all right! I’m right here, you don’t have to yell!” exclaims Olaf, right next to Elsa’s ear, causing her to squeak in surprise, nearly falling off the bed. “Sheesh!”

She looks at him with wide eyes, and something just clicks into place. Sure she had been relieved when he’d left, but now that she thought about it, it had felt like some part of her was missing. Though she would never admit it, she had missed her friend.

“You came!” she says in surprise, and he chuckles.  

“Off course I came, silly,” he gives her a big smile. “I said I would. Man, less than a week Els? Can’t live without me, huh?”

Elsa rolls her eyes. “I need your help.”

“Yeah, I know. I said I wouldn’t be far. I just wanted to be really sure you meant it when you were calling me back. Okay, Operation Feisty Pants to commence!”

“Ew,” Elsa says in a flat tone.

“Aw, come on. I thought it was clever. So? What’re you going to do?”

“I’m gonna tell her,” Elsa frowns. It was obviously the solution, she just didn’t know how to go about doing it. Should she call? Should she just show up at the girl’s work? A letter? Is there a greeting card that announces lunacy “For Her”?

Olaf nods. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“You’ve been around…How do you think she’ll respond?” Elsa asks.

Smiling Olaf chuckles. “She’ll uh…she’ll understand.”

“You really think so? I mean, it’s pretty out there, Olaf. If someone were to walk into this room right now and see me talking to you, most people would be freaked out.”

Olaf sighs. “I know, but Anna cares deeply about you—I know it. You can do this and so can she.”

“Right,” Elsa balls her hands into fists. “I can do this.”

Elsa whips out her phone, finds her messages to Anna and starts a new one.

**_Elsa: I’m ready to talk. Can I come by?_ **

Elsa scrunches her brows. _Well that was easier than I was making it out to be._

Drumming her fingers together, she waits.

And waits.

And waits.

“Ugh!” Elsa releases a frustrated groan. She hadn’t thought about this drawback of texting. She gets up, pacing the room.

“Easy, Elsa,” Olaf soothes her. “You got this.”

“What if she doesn’t respond?”

“We’ll move on to phase two of Operation Feisty Pants, obviously,” Olaf quips with a smirk

“Hilarious,” Elsa responds dryly.

Her phone blips.

“Anna!” she pounces on her phone, still on the bed, opening the message.

**_Anna: Of course. I just got off work. Meet me there? Usual spot?_ **

“What’d she say?” Olaf asks.

“I can go by to talk to her,” Elsa smiles. She dashes to her closet, pulling out her peacoat and checks herself in the mirror. She’s about to rush out her door, but she pauses and turns back. “Thanks…Olaf. I’m-I’m sorry about before.”

The boy simply smiles. “I’ll always be here for you, Els. No matter what. That’s what friends are for, right?”

Elsa gives him a soft smile and nods before finally exiting her room. For some reason, though unspoken, she doesn’t think Olaf will follow her.

Kristoff is holding his head in his arms at the table by the bay window. “I’m going to the petting zoo,” she tells him.

Kristoff lifts his head and smiles, probably just happy she’s talking to him again. “You want a ride?”

“Nah, I’ll take the metro,” she answers. “Look, Kristoff I get why you did what you did. I’m not mad at you, not really. You know I just hate hospitals and being cuffed to the bed doesn’t make me fondly remember my childhood, you know?”

“Yeah,” Kristoff nods with a deflated expression. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“I know,” Elsa nods. “Wish me luck?”

Kristoff smiles at that. “Good luck, Els. Don’t stay out too late.”

*****line break*****

Anna is leaning on Sven’s fence, facing the reindeer as Elsa approaches. Apparently Anna doesn’t see her, because she looks as if she’s having an animated discussion with the animal.

“I know, I know. I probably overreacted, but it had been weeks of her not telling me! What was I supposed to do? I mean, I…she’s my everything, Sven, but I can’t settle for only a part of her. I want her to trust me, you know? Enough not to hide parts of herself from me.”

Sven snorts a breath.

“Hey!” Anna says indignantly. “That’s not true!”

“A-chm,” Elsa coughs softly to announce herself.

“Elsa!” Anna turns to her with wide eyes of surprise and a furious blush. “H-Hi!”

Elsa gulps. “Um…Hi. Are…are you ready to talk?”

Anna nods slowly. “Yeah, Els. I’ve been ready.”

Elsa looks at the ground. “I know, Anna. And…I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just…it’s hard, you know? The last time I told someone this I—well let’s just say it didn’t end too well for me.”  

Anna pauses for a moment, before she speaks again. “Hey, um, do you want to get out of here? Somewhere a little more private?”

Elsa looks up at the redhead, giving her a small smile. “Yeah I’d…I’d like that, Anna.”

They walk to Anna’s car, a good foot of space between them, and though Elsa hates the fact, she doesn’t close it. She doesn’t want to make things worse than they already are. They drive in silence; not even the radio is playing. Elsa shifts uncomfortably in her seat, sending several sideways glances towards Anna. If the redhead notices, she doesn’t mention it.

Eventually, they reach Anna’s apartment complex. They walk awkwardly towards her door, and Anna opens it, ushering Elsa inside. The blonde sits gingerly on the couch, and Anna walks over to the kitchen. Elsa looks at her hands, trying to figure out what she’s going to say. Suddenly, there’s a mug in front of her face, filled with hot chocolate.

“Here,” Anna says, giving her a soft smile. “It’s cold outside.”

Elsa accepts the mug with a small thank you. Anna nods, taking a seat next to her, leaving a good amount of space between them. It’s quiet again, though Elsa has a feeling Anna needs a moment to prepare herself, so she waits for the okay.

“Okay,” Anna breathes, turning in her seat to regard Elsa. “I’m listening.”

Elsa takes a deep breath, choosing to stare at her cup instead of Anna. “U-um…I-I…w-well you see…Ugh!” she runs a hand though her bangs, before letting out a nervous chuckle. “Sorry, it’s just…I don’t really know where to start.”

Anna nods, scooting just a little bit closer. “Try starting from the beginning.”

“O-okay…”Elsa takes another deep breath, gathering all of her courage before blurting “I spent thirteen years in a mental institution.”

She scrunches her eyes closed, waiting for Anna’s inevitable reaction.

It’s silent. Completely, heart-wrenchingly silent. Elsa holds her breath as she waits, but the seconds tick by and eventually she opens one eye to peer at the redhead.

Anna is just looking her, as if she’s waiting for her to continue.

Elsa frowns. “Uh…you heard that, right?”

Anna nods, ebbing a calm that makes Elsa frown further. “I thought it might be something like that,” Anna explains. “I mean…Kristoff is a psychiatrist, but doesn’t have any clients? And you kind of look to him for approval for everything? I’ve had a hunch you guys had a relationship more complicated than just being friends for a while.”

“Oh,” Elsa runs a hand through her hair.

“So why do you need a live-in psychiatrist and why were you in a mental institution, Els?” Anna asks, reaching for Elsa’s hand.

When their hands touch, Elsa feels a wave of relief wash over her. This wasn’t at all the reaction she’d been expecting. After all…last time…

“Okay,” Elsa sits straighter. “I’ll tell you what happened.”

*****line break*****

_A five-year-old Elsa sits, her arms crossed in stubbornness. She doesn’t know why she has to be here, and she isn’t happy about it._

_“Elsa, honey, it’s just a check-up,” her mother reassures her. “When we get home we’ll do something fun, okay? Maybe build a snowman?”_

_A corner of Elsa’s lips turns up._

_“Aw, come ooonnn,” her mother eggs her on. “You know you wanna,” she teases._

_Elsa giggles. “Okay, Mama.”_

_“I don’t know why you make her promises you don’t know you can keep,” her father growls._

_Her mother frowns. “I’m not, Adgar. I’m taking my little girl home no matter what they say. She’d be far better off with us than anyone else. I’ll quit work if I have to. She’s more important.”_

_Elsa’s looks back and forth between her parents, confused. “Mama?”_

_Her father interjects before her mother can respond. “You don’t know you can take care of her!” Adgar argues. “You’re a doctor, but that doesn’t mean you know everything or that you’ll be able to…to…fix her!”_

_“She doesn’t need fixing, Adgar!” her mother yells, furious._

_Elsa ducks to hide in her own arms. She doesn’t mean to make Mama and Papa fight. She looks back up, wanting to stop them from fighting. It’s all her fault._

_“Stop this,” her mother hisses. “Stop it. She’s our little girl. How can you want them to…” she covers Elsa’s ears, but the little girl still hears. “How could you even think about letting them take her away?”_

_“Because they might be able to help her, Idunn. She’s young. If they treat her early, she might have a shot at a normal life.”_

_“The best way to give her a normal life is to let her grow up without her parents? To be surrounded by sick people and cared for by people that have no personal investment in her, when she should be surrounded by love?”_

_Adgar scowls. “She sees a boy, Idunn. She doesn’t pretend to like other little girls with their imaginary friends. She really sees him.”_

_“I’ll take care of her with or without your help, Adgar. She is_ not _going to be taken away from me.”_

_Running his fingers through his thick, auburn hair, Adgar holds his head in his hands. He starts shaking and Elsa’s eyes widen in fear. She’s never seen her father cry before._

_*****_

_Elsa, now eight, struggles against the orderly’s grip, crying out to her parents. “Mama, Papa! Don’t let them take me away!”_

_Her mother turns away, burying her face in her husband’s shoulder as he watches the orderly take her away with a stony face. Elsa can see Idunn’s shoulders shaking as she sobs. The girl looks at her father, pleading with her eyes. “Please, Papa!”_

_He looks away. “You’ll be fine, Elsa. It’s for the best.”_

_Elsa struggles again, aware that Olaf is watching her, a grim look on his face. She looks to him for help, but he only shakes his head, mouthing something._

_It doesn’t hit her until later that he was saying “I’m sorry.”_

_*****_

_“Dr. Weselton tells me you’re not eating,” Idunn says, trying to get her daughter to look at her. Elsa doesn’t answer. Her father wasn’t there, of course. He never was. In seven years, he hadn’t visited her once. Even Kristoff her friend from_ before, _and his family_ _visited her, sometimes multiple times a week. He says he’ll be a psychiatrist someday…But not her father.  She hadn’t seen her father since they’d taken her away. If he’d had his way, Elsa would be a completely different person. His mantra still run in her ears: Conceal; don’t feel. Don’t let it show. On some level, Elsa hates her mother for staying with the man. It’s why their visits have become more and more strained as the years have gone by._

_“Elsa, dear,” Idunn reaches for her hand, but Elsa pulls it out of reach. She tries not to notice he hurt look that crosses her mother’s face. She doesn’t care. Or, at least, she tries to tell herself that._

_“Chm,” Idnunn clears her throat. “It’s not healthy for you to stop eating, Elsa.”_

_“You’re mom’s right, Els,” Olaf says, picking at his fingers. “You’re really starting to worry me too, you know.”_

_“Shut up,” Elsa barks, startling her mother._

_“What?” Idunn questions, earning a glare from her daughter._

_“Not you,” she spits, crossing her arms._

_Idunn’s face falls. “O-oh…you were…talking to_ him _then?”_

_Elsa doesn’t answer again, choosing instead to stare out the window. Kristoff was the only one she could count on. He was the only one that really wanted her to get out of here. She hears her mother sigh._

_“It looks like I’m not getting anywhere with you today, so…I’m going to go. I’ll be back next week, sweetheart,” Idunn says, standing and gathering her things. She leans over and kisses the top of Elsa’s head before she leaves, and the girl can’t help but feel alone._

_“You’re not alone, Els!” Olaf chimes in. “You’ve got me! I’ll never leave you.”_

_*****_

_“I got in, Els!” is the first thing Kristoff exclaims when she walks into the visitor room. “I got into med school!”_

_Elsa gives him one of her rare smiles, followed by a hug. “That’s great, Kris!” she says excitedly. “I’m so proud of you!”_

_He pulls back, returning her smile, before taking her hands, and dropping to her level. “Just four more years, Els. Just a little longer. Then I can get you out of here.”_

_Elsa gives him a half smile, but she knows she’ll never leave this place. Olaf made sure of that._

_“Hey,” Kristoff says, not fooled. “I_ will _get you out of here, Elsa. If it’s the last thing I do. I swear it.”_

_Elsa gives him another hug. “I know you will, Kris.”_

_If only she believed him._

_*****_

_“So tell me about your nightmares, Elsa,” Dr. Weselton says, pushing his glasses up his ridiculously large nose, his mustache twitching. He scratches his head, moving his toupee around, and Elsa would’ve laughed once. Instead she remains quiet, looking at her hands. She feels terrible, and knows she looks even worse. A lack of sleep will do that to you. She feels the couch shift as Olaf settles next to her._

_“Go on, Els,” he says, earning a glare. “He’s only trying to help.”_

_Elsa flinches away from him, moving to the other end of the couch. This does not go unnoticed._

_“Is there something wrong, Elsa?” Dr. Weselton asks, and Elsa fights the urge to roll her eyes. Despite his friendly demeanor, she knows he doesn’t care. But she also knows he’d keep her here until she talked._

_She sighs. Who knows, maybe she’d feel better if she did. “They’re…about_ him _,” Elsa says finally, still looking down. She can practically feel Olaf stiffen._

_“Hmm,” Dr. Weselton hums, scribbling something down. “Does he hurt you?”_

_Elsa nods, then shakes her head. “I’m not sure.”_

_“Why don’t you tell me what happens?” he pushes. The blonde hesitates. She glances over to see Olaf staring at her intently, and decides it’s now or never._

_“I’m…I’m standing on a cliff,” Elsa starts. “Olaf’s there, and he’s talking to me. He’s always asking ‘are you sure, Elsa?’ over and over again. And I keep answering yes. And…and then he sticks his hand into my chest, and pulls out my heart. That’s when I wake up.”_

_Dr. Weselton scribbles down more notes, before answering. “Elsa, are you afraid of Olaf?”_

_Elsa blanches, looking up at the doctor for the first time. “What? N-no. He’s harmless!”_

_“Is he here, now?” Dr. Weselton asks, and Elsa nods. “Where?”_

_Elsa points to the spot on the couch where Olaf is sitting, looking off into space._

_“Mhmm,” hums the doctor. “So, I suppose my next question is this: if you’re not afraid of him, then why did you move away?”_

_Elsa’s head snaps up in shock. A sick feeling comes to he-r stomach as she realizes she doesn’t have an answer._

_*****_

_“Where are they?” Elsa huffs in frustration. Olaf rolls his eyes, standing to walk over to the pacing blonde. She was incredibly nervous. Today was the first day in over ten years that she would lay eyes on her father. She doesn’t know how, but her mother and Kristoff had convinced him to come._

_“Calm down, Els,” Olaf says. “They’ll be here.”_

_Elsa pauses, looking out the window, before pacing again. “What if something happened?”_

_“Nothing happened,” Olaf says exasperated._

_Elsa stops and glares at the boy. “They’re late Olaf. Mom’s never late.”_

_Olaf opens his mouth to respond, but gets interrupted by an orderly. “Elsa Arendelle? You have visitors.”_

_Elsa sighs in relief, rushing past the orderly. She nearly runs into the visitor’s lounge, a smile on her face, until she sees two cops standing where her mother and father should be. The older of the two notices her, and walks over, a sad expression on his face._

_“Are you Miss Arendelle?” he asks, and Elsa nods, unable to bring herself to speak. The cop nods, taking a deep breath. “Then I’m sorry to inform you that your parents were involved in an accident a few hours ago. They…didn’t make it. You have me sincerest condolences.”_

_The words hit Elsa like a train. The cop continues talking, but she doesn’t hear him. Her parents are dead. Her parents are_ dead _. Elsa feels her legs give out, as tears rain down her face. Her parents are dead._

_And she never got to say goodbye._

_*****_

_“What do you mean I can’t go?!” Elsa screams, pulling at her restraints. “They’re my parents!”_

_“I’m sorry, Elsa,” Dr. Weselton says, and she scoffs. “But until you can control yourself, I cannot let you leave here!”_

_“It’s their funeral! I can’t miss it!” Elsa pleads, feeling tears in her eyes. Dr. Weselton ignores her walking towards the door. “Please!”_

_The old man reaches the door, and leans into the orderly. “Watch her,” he whispers, but no so quiet that Elsa doesn’t hear. “Let me know if anything changes.”_

_The orderly nods once, closing the door behind them, leaving Elsa alone. But it’s not for long._

_“Butt-faces,” Olaf mutters, popping up next to her. “I’m sorry Els. I know how much this means to you—”_

_“Shut up,” Elsa growls, turning to look at him. “Just, Shut. UP!”_

_Olaf blanches, clearly not expecting the blonde to speak to him like that. She really can’t blame him, she never has before._

_“What the hell, Els? I know you’re upset, but that’s no reason to snap at me!” he exclaims, frowning._

_“No reason? NO REASON?!” Elsa snarls straining to get closer to him. “I have_ every _reason! This is all your fault!”_

_“My fault?” Olaf shouts back. “How is this_ my _fault?!”_

_“If you had never come around, I wouldn’t be here, and they would still be alive!” Elsa retorts, and Olaf pauses, looking like he doesn’t know how to respond. So Elsa continues. “Ever since I was a child, you’ve ruined everything! My life is a living_ hell _because of you!”_

_It’s quiet for a moment, before Olaf responds. “I-I…I’m sorry you feel that way, Els.”_

_Elsa turns her head away from him. “I wish I’d never seen you,” she whispers. “Just…just leave me alone.”_

_“Elsa—”_

_“I said_ LEAVE _!” Elsa roars. When Olaf doesn’t respond, she looks back, only to find that for the first time in her life, she is truly, and utterly, alone._

_And she’s no longer able to hold back her tears._

_*****_

_The judge stamps the papers once more before signing them. Elsa can’t help but beam. She looks over at Kristoff, who actually looks quite handsome in his suit and tie. She doesn’t know how she’ll ever be able to thank him. She’s finally out. After all this time, she’s finally going to get out._

_“All right, that seems to just about do it,” the judge says, giving Elsa and Kristoff a smile. “She’s all yours, Mr. Bjorgman. Just make sure you follow everything to the letter. You have a long-standing friendship with Miss Arendelle, and your references profess your commitment to your profession, hence my readiness to place her in your care. The conditions of her transfer also dictate that she remains medicated, and remember that Dr. Weselton will be by every six months to check in. In two years, you may appeal for the state to reevaluate Miss Arendelle’s case.”_

_The judge peers down from the papers in his hand, looking at Elsa. “Miss Arendelle, much depends on you, as well. This will be a big adjustment. Take your time, listen to Mr. Bjorgman’s counsel, and get well.”_

_Elsa nods, smiling. “Yes, Sir.”_

_Nodding, the judge returns her smile. “That’ll be all, then. She’s free to go in your care, Mr. Bjorgman.”_

_“Yes, Sir,” Kristoff smiles, shaking the judges hand. “Thank you so much. This means so much to me, and I know the same can be said for Elsa.”_

_At this, Elsa nods enthusiastically. “It really does, Sir,” she says._

_The judge laughs, shaking his head. “I’m sure that’s true, Miss Arendelle. But you know the only reason I can do this is because you’ve been able to prove yourself to be stable. I may have signed the papers, but everything else, that was you. Well done, young lady.”_

_Elsa’s cheeks are sore from smiling as she fights to hold back her tears. “Thank you, Sir. I won’t let you down.”_

_“See to it that you don’t,” he responds, standing. “Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a tuna sandwich calling my name.”_

_With that he leaves the two alone with a soft click of the door. The second he’s gone, Elsa squeals, pulling Kristoff into a hug, finally let out a few tears._

_“We did it, Kris!” she exclaims happily, pulling back a bit. “We actually did it!”_

_“See,” he chuckles wiping a tear from her cheek. “I told you I’d get you out of there. When have I ever broken a promise?”_

_Elsa smiles again, pulling him into another embrace._

_“Thank you, Kristoff. You’re the best friend anyone could ever ask for,” she sighs into his shoulder. “Thank you.”_

*****line break*****


	12. Twelve

Elsa looks down at her hands as she finishes her story. She’s been talking for hours, and her voice is raw. As she falls silent, she waits for Anna to say something. But she doesn’t. Elsa takes a risk and peeks up at the other girl, only to shrink back when she sees the look of pure anger in Anna’s eyes. Finally, the redhead speaks.

“That _asshole!_ ” she curses venomously, standing and running a hand through her bangs. “How dare he? How _dare_ he put you in there?!”

Anna starts pacing, muttering to herself.

“I can’t believe he did that!” she rants, startling Elsa. “Of all the possible things he could have done, and he chose _that?!_ What the _hell_ was he thinking?! _”_

“U-um, Anna?” Elsa half-whispers, but the redhead ignores her.

“I’ll kill him,” Anna nearly screams. “I swear to _God_ , I’ll kill him!”

“Anna!” Elsa finally exclaims, standing and taking the girls hands. “Look, it’s sweet that you’re upset about this, but my father is already dead,” she half-jokes, not wanting to admit how much Anna was scaring her. 

Anna looks up, startled by Elsa’s words. When she sees how frightened the blonde is, her face immediately shows concern.

“Elsa, I…” Anna says, cupping her cheek. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”

“Anna, you have nothing to be sorry about,” Elsa says, leaning into her touch. “This isn’t your fault.”

For a second, it almost looks as a flash of guilt crosses Anna’s face, but it’s gone before Elsa can comprehend that it was even there in the first place.

“It doesn’t mean that I’m not, Els. What you went through…” Anna leaves off shaking her head.

Elsa tilts her head in question. “Aren’t…aren’t you freaked out that I…I see someone that doesn’t exist?”

Anna pulls her into a hug and Elsa can feel her shaking her head. “Freaked out? I wouldn’t say ‘freaked out’. I’m…I wish I had been there for you Elsa—the way Kristoff was.” She sighs. “I wish it hadn’t taken us so long to find each other.”

Elsa doesn’t hold back the tears that want to escape. She can’t believe it. She can’t believe Anna is reacting so calmly. “You,” she sniffs, “you still want to…be with me?”

Anna pulls away, a newly formed frown and sense of anger about her. She cups Elsa’s chin between her palms, forcing eye-contact. “Of course I do, Elsa. This changes nothing. Neither of us can help what happened in the past, but we have each other now. I’m not losing you. I’m not ever letting you go again.” As if to prove her point, she brings them together in another fierce embrace.

Elsa clutches at Anna, her fingers grasping her sweater as she buries herself in the crook of her redhead’s neck, tears still falling.

Anna walks them back toward the couch and holds her for minutes or hours—Elsa can’t be sure. All she knows is that Anna accepts her—all of her—and she never wants to let her go either. She looks up eventually, meeting teal eyes, scanning them in wonder. How can Anna be so wonderful, so understanding, so compassionate toward her?

Anna reaches up, cupping Elsa’s cheek, and the blonde leans into her touch, her hand coming up to cover the redhead’s. Anna leans her forehead on Elsa’s, closing her eyes.

“I’m sorry Elsa. I’m so sorry,” she whispers, causing the blonde to let more tears fall. “I love you.”

Elsa’s eyes snap open, and she pulls back, in surprise.

“What?” she half-whispers, not believing her ears. Because Anna didn’t say that. Because, even if she is the best thing that ever happened the blonde, Elsa couldn’t be that lucky. Anna takes Elsa’s hand, looking her in the eyes.

“Elsa, you are beautiful, and wonderful, and amazing, and…and I don’t know how I survived this long without you. I love you,” she says confidently, and it’s all Elsa can do not to break down. She slowly brings a hand to cover her mouth, her vision blurry. A single tear falls down her face, but she doesn’t move to wipe it.

“Elsa?” Anna questions, the confidence in her voice gone. “A-are you oka—mmph!” she squeaks in surprise as Elsa crashes their lips together in a heated kiss. It takes her about two seconds to kiss her back, and Elsa grins against her lips when she does. The blonde pulls back, leaning her forehead back on Anna’s.

“I…I love you too, Anna,” she says letting out a soft giggle. “I love you so much.”

Elsa sighs in both relief and contentment, as Anna leans back on the couch. The blonde settles beside her and nuzzles closer. “I love you too,” she says, and closes her eyes. Telling Anna everything had taken all of her energy. She was exhausted. A part of her knew she should get up and should go home, but she had little motivation. In Anna’s arms, she felt safe. In Anna’s arms, she felt loved.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Elsa feels a crook in her neck and she shifts. When her hands land on something soft, she opens her eyes. Upon seeing her hand in a compromising position atop Anna, Elsa yelps and rolls off the couch. She catches herself and glances back up at the redhead. She smirks, seeing a line of drool escaping Anna’s gaping mouth, and a bushel of red, unkempt hair.

_Apparently you’re a heavy sleeper_ , she thinks and grins. Something blips and she turns to see her phone on the coffee table, six inches from her face. She grabs and opens it, a soft smile still on her lips which promptly disappears when she sees the screen.

“Oh, no!” she exclaims, waking up her girlfriend.

“I’m awake!” Anna bolts up. “What? What? What is it?” she asks, looking around frantically. Elsa looks up at her in panic.

“I didn’t call Kristoff to tell him I was staying the night,” she says, horrified. “Look!”

Anna leans in to peer at the tiny screen, and Elsa knows exactly what she’s seeing. 27 missed calls, 34 text messages, and several, probably angry, voicemails.

“He’s going to kill me,” Elsa slumps back against the couch, running a hand through her hair.

“No, he’s not,” Anna says with a yawn, sliding down next to her and throwing an arm over her shoulders. “Why don’t you call him? Explain what happened?”

“No. Calling is too dangerous,” Elsa says and shakes her head, her eyes wide with fright. 

“Ookay, then how about at text?” Anna tries. When Elsa hesitates, Anna swipes the phone from her. “Here, I’ll do it for you.”

“What?! Anna, wait!” Elsa tries to grab her phone back, but the redhead jumps up from the floor, typing furiously at the screen. “Anna, what’re you typing?!”

“I’m letting Kristoff know where you are, that you’re okay, and that you’re with me,” she says, tapping the send button. “There. Now that Kristoff knows what’s up, why don’t you go get dressed?”

“But, I have to go home! He’s probably called the FBI by now…or Punz. Oh my God, what if he called Punz?! I have to—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down Els,” Anna grabs her shoulders. “Look, you’re already late, so just relax and take your time. I’ll take you home as soon as we’re done getting ready. Okay?”

Elsa takes a deep breath. “Okay,” she says with a soft smile.

Anna grins, giving her a quick kiss. “I had a pretty good dream just before you woke me up.”

“Oh?” Elsa tilts her head.

“Mmm hmm,” Anna hums, and bites her bottom lip in a tease. “You went for a feelski,” she waggles her brows.

Elsa’s eyes bulge and her brows shoot to the heavens. “I…I…” _Oh no! She was awake! She felt it when my hand accidentally…_

Anna laughs. “It was just a dream,” she says, pulling Elsa closer. “And not one I’m averse to experiencing while awake in the future.”

Elsa laughs too, though her cheeks are on fire. “Right…um, m-me too.”

“Good to know,” Anna nods, putting on a nonchalant expression in a tease. “Okay,” she grins and kisses Elsa’s cheek. “Let’s get going.”

*****line break*****

Elsa’s heart is hammering as Anna practically drags her up the stairs to the apartment.

“Elsa!” Anna scolds her, a grin on her face. “Quit fighting me!”

The blonde shakes her head rapidly. “N-no! He’s furious! You saw how many angry faces he sent me after you texted him!”

“He’ll get over it,” Anna rolls her eyes. “He was just worried about you.”

They reach the door, and Anna knocks with her signature shave and a haircut when Elsa refuses to retrieve her keys.

Kristoff opens the door so hard it slams into the inside wall. “’Bout time!” he fumes.

Anna steps in front of Elsa. “Eeeaaasy, Kristoff,” she pats the air. “Elsa didn’t know she’d be spending the night last night, and…well she told me everything. You can imagine what an emotional toll that took. We simply didn’t remember to text or call. It happens, but I’ll try really hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again, okay?”

Kristoff narrows his eyes. “Elsa?”

Elsa, who up until now had been hiding behind her redhead, peeks and waves a few fingers gingerly with a cheesy, unconvincing smile.

Rolling his eyes, Kristoff waves them in. He corals them into the living room, pointing towards the couch.

“Sit,” he growls, and the two girls are quick to comply. Kristoff take a deep breath, running a hand through his hair and over his face, before speaking again.

“Elsa, I’m not even going to begin to tell you how stupid and irresponsible this was,” he starts, towering over the blonde and the redhead. “What the hell were you thinking?! No call, no text, hell, I would’ve accepted a pigeon with a note strapped to its leg! At least I would’ve known where you were!” Kristoff begins pacing around the room. “Do you know how worried I was?! What if something had happened to you? What if you were lying in a ditch somewhere? I’m responsible for you, Els! You can’t just disappear like that! I could lose my job! My license! I could lose custody of you, and then where do you think you’d end up? I can’t believe…”

As Kristoff rants, Elsa sits with her head bowed, accepting her consequences. That is, until she feels Anna start to play with her hands. She sneaks a peek up towards the redhead—though she has a feeling that Kristoff wouldn’t notice, he tends to have a one track mind when he’s upset—and tints pink when she sees the loving smile Anna is giving her. She shyly ducks her head, squeezing Anna’s hand gently, before looking up and returning her smile.

Anna’s grin widens, and she brings their hands up to her mouth, kissing Elsa’s knuckles, causing the blonde to giggle softly behind her hand. The redhead joins her, chuckling softly, before mouthing “I love you,” to her, earning another blush from Elsa.

“Elsa!” Kristoff exclaims, causing her to jump, turning bright red. “Are you even listening to me?!”

“Chm, yes,” Elsa coughs into a fist. “Of course.”

Kristoff sighs. “Look, just don’t worry me like that, okay? You’re not just my patient. You’re like a sister to me and I was worried sick all night.”

Elsa’s lips turn down at a corner. “I’m sorry, Kristoff. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Kristoff eyes her for a moment, before giving her a small smile. “Okay.”

Turning back to Anna, Elsa is lost in the warmth of teal eyes meeting hers. She cups a freckled cheek and Anna leans into her touch, making Elsa all but melt.

“No wonder you didn’t think to text. Someone’s in looooove,” Kristoff sung. “Wait ‘til Punz sees this,” he grins and Elsa punches him.

“I can’t believe it! You actually called her? You know how she is!” Elsa is still reaching to assault Kristoff, but Anna holds her back easily.

“Look, I had to. I had no idea where you were when I didn’t receive a call after my twentieth attempt. I thought maybe things didn’t go well, and you’d gone to her place to stay the night.”

“Baby, who is this… Punz?” Anna asks.

Elsa turns her livid expression toward Anna, and then smirks. The redhead is almost pouting and her eyes are cast downward. _Is she…jealous?_ She stops trying to kill Kristoff and tucks in her lips before squeezing Anna’s hand. “We’re very close.”

“Oh,” Anna says, and Elsa can hear a faint hint of sadness in her tone.

“We basically grew up together, a lot like Kristoff and me,” Elsa further explains, trying to hide her grin. “She was one of the few people who constantly visited me when I was at the institute.”

Kristoff catches her eye and mouths ‘what?’, but Elsa shakes her head to indicate he should keep his mouth shut.

“Oh,” Anna says again.

“And she’s…” Elsa hesitates, watching the redhead become more uncomfortable by the second, “my cousin.”

“Oh!” Anna looks up, her eyes wide. When she sees Elsa’s evil grin, she pushes her gently. “ _Mean_!” she accuses Elsa.

Elsa laughs. “Sorry, that was too good to resist,” she laughs some more.

Kristoff chuckles. “Just a tad jealous there, Anna?” he teases her.

Anna casts a dangerous glare his way. “Possessive, Bjorgman. Not jealous.”

“Riiiiight,” Kristoff says, unconvinced, and Elsa continues to laugh.

“I’ll get you back for this,” Anna warns Elsa.

As she wipes a tear away, Elsa sighs happily. “Whatever you say, baby,” she says, pulling Anna in for a kiss.

“Ugh,” Kristoff remarks when Anna doesn’t let Elsa pull away too quickly. “Seriously. You guys are gross. Way too mushy.”

“It’s called being in love, Kristoff,” Anna quips after she ends their kiss with a quick peck. “You should try it sometime. Ya know, get a life.”

“Hey! I have a life!” Kristoff argues.

“When was your last date?” Anna is unconvinced.

“Uhhhh….”

“That’s what I thought,” Anna chuckles. “Don’t worry. Elsa and I can help you find someone.”

“No offense,” Kristoff laughs. “But I need a straight girl. I swear, one look at Elsa and every girl who’s ever shown mild interest in me goes gay,” he laughs.

Anna giggles as Elsa rolls her eyes. All at once, three heads turn toward the door when there’s a sharp knock on the door.

“Ahhh maaan,” Elsa whines. “You just _had_ to call her,” she glares back at Kristoff. He chuckles as she makes her way towards the door, pausing to take a deep breath before she opens it.

She’s immediately tackled.

“ELLLLSSSSAAAA!” the brunette squeals, pulling her into a bone-crunching hug.

“Ack!” Elsa exclaims, trying to weasel her way out of her cousin’s grip. For such a small girl, she was incredibly strong.  “Punz…can’t… _breathe_ ” she gasps, and the brunette quickly releases her, muttering an apology.

 “Easy there blondie,” chuckles a man walking in behind her. “Don’t break her just yet.”

“Shut up, Eugene, I haven’t been a blonde in years,” she quips, dusting Elsa off. “And you!” she points at the blonde, “You scared Kristoff and me half to death last night with your little disappearing act. I was so worrrrriiiiieeed,” she says, holding Elsa’s face between her hands.

Elsa manages to squeeze out of the brunette’s hold before Punz runs over to Kristoff. He envelopes her in a bear hug, laughing. “Kristoff!” she giggles, squeezing him back. “It’s so good to see you again! What’s it been? Three years?”

“Just about,” he chuckles, putting her down. “It’s good to see you too, Punz.”

Elsa watches the two interact as she tries to catch her breath. She straightens up, and feels someone put a hand on her shoulder. She looks up, only to see Eugene giving her his biggest, cheesiest smile. Elsa smiles back, pulling him into a gentle hug.

Eugene laughs, hugging her back, though not as hard as his wife. “Hey there, Els. Long time no see.”

Elsa pulls back, smiling. “Too long,” she says, earning a chuckle from the man as he claps her shoulder once more before joining Punz in the kitchen near the entrance. Anna comes up next to Elsa, giggling, earning a playful glare from the blonde.

“Shut up,” Elsa smirks, kissing her cheek before grabbing her hand and pulling her towards her cousin and new husband to make introductions. The brunette turns as they approach, a large smile on her face.

Eugene blanches when he sees Anna. “Oh no,” he gasps.

Before anyone can ask him what’s wrong, he grabs a nearby broom, pointing it at Anna as if it were a weapon. Anna, in the meantime, searches for a weapon herself, settling on a frying pan. The two begin an epic battle of back and forth—a swipe clean through the air as Anna jumps over the broom handle, a lunge, a duck and sudden turn. At last, Anna parries the broom out of his hand, stepping forward in a lunge. Eugene avoids the frying pan, but Anna catches his ankle, tripping him so that he’s helpless on the floor.

Anna grins down at Eugene, twirling the frying pan around to offer him the handle. “Not bad, Flynn.”

Eugene sighs with a smile, taking the offered end of the frying pan to stand up. “I’ll never catch up, Captain. I thought you weren’t even practicing anymore.”

“I don’t have anyone to practice with, but I keep up a routine,” Anna says. She puts the frying pan down and the two begin an intricate handshake.

When they’ve finished with a “bluhalalalala” sound as they twiddle straight fingers at each other and laugh, Punz steps forward. “Um…why did you attack my husband, exactly?” she chuckles with them.

“Red used to be on my fencing team. She was the captain, actually. Small world after all, I guess.” Eugene explains for them.

“Wow,” Punz raises both brows. Then she smacks his shoulder.

“Ow!” he protests. “What was that for?”

“You said I was the first woman who ever swung a frying pan at you!” she says with an angry pout.

“You were, Punz! The fencing team usually uses, ya know, fencing swords,” he chuckles and chucks his chin toward Anna. “Red just likes keeping her team on their toes. I knew she’d attack with whatever she could find in the room and went for the broom.”

“Good call,” Anna nods, taking hold of Elsa’s hand once more. “Gave you the upper hand with distance for a while.”

“Yeah, but the pan’s strength is something to be trifled with,” he smirks at his wife. “Punz here has given me a healthy respect for ‘em. I nearly shat myself when you lifted that thing up,” he laughs and Punz chuckles too.

The brunette swats Eugene playfully. “You act like I abuse you. And who is this ‘Red’?” she grins at Anna, regarding the redhead with bright green eyes—eyes that continuously flicker between Elsa and Anna’s intertwined hands and the blonde’s wide grin. “Elsa?”

“Chm,” Elsa clears her throat nervously. “Um, Anna, this is my cousin Rapunzel,” she gestures to the brunette. “And Punz, this is Anna…m-my girlfriend.”

Rapunzel raises an eyebrow, her smile growing. “Girlfriend?”

“Mmhmm,” Elsa hums, eyeing the brunette nervously, unsure how she will react.

It’s quiet for a moment, before Rapunzel squeals again, causing everyone else to flinch as the girl pulls Anna and Elsa into a hug. She pulls back, beaming at the two girls.

“Oh my God!” she exclaims, clapping her hands together. “My little Elsie-poo has a girlfriend!”

“Can everyone stop calling me that?” Elsa pouts, though she smiles along with her cousin. “And you’re only a few weeks older than me Punz.”

Punz chuckles. “Sorry.”

“Well since we’re all here…” Eugene interjects. “Why don’t we eat, and ya know, be merry and stuff. I can hassle Red about being an official lesbian, and Punz can grill Elsa for all the gory details. Should be fun,” he smirks.

Punz smacks him. “Really? An official lesbian?”

“Well I assume they’ve had sex,” Eugene quips with a smirk, earning himself another smack.

“You don’t know that and it’s none of our business!” Punz mock-glares at him. She turns to Elsa, and upon seeing her furious blush, her eyes widen as she gives the blonde a large shit-eating-grin. “Oh my god, you did!”

“Oh my god, stop,” Elsa begs from hiding beneath her palms. “For the love of everything, stop.”

Anna groans next to her. “I second that,” she says, pulling Elsa into her so that the blonde is hiding in her embrace.

“Yeah, sheesh. I was kidding,” Eugene pipes up. “Leave the poor lesbians alone.”

“Ugh!” Anna groans louder in complaint. “Shhhtaaahhhhp!”

Elsa buries herself further.

“All right! All right,” Kristoff interposes. “Leave ‘em alone. Elsa’s gonna implode or something.”

“Thank you,” Anna sighs. “Who votes for pizza?”

“Sounds good, Red.”

“Is carrots a topping?”

“I want pineapple!”

There’s a general scrambling and then Eugene, Kristoff, and Punz are arguing about what should be on the pizza, on what side.

Elsa peeks up at Anna from her hiding place in her arms. Anna smiles down at her. “You okay?” she asks.

Elsa nods. “You distracted them effectively.”

Anna smirks. “I’m good at distractions,” she says, propping Elsa’s chin up to claim her lips in a kiss.

“Whooooooo!” cat calls ensue from the living room.

“Oh shut up!” Anna yells, laughing. “Come on, we better join ‘em.”

*****line break*****

“Okay, come on, Red. You can do this. Just two more cards. You got this.”

“Shut up, Flynn,” Anna hisses softly. She picks up two cards and gingerly, oh-so-carefully begins to place them on the card castle. Eugene and she make a team while Elsa and Punz make another. Kristoff moderates when necessary, which Elsa hadn’t thought necessary until she’d seen Anna’s competitive side.

A devilish smirk comes to the blonde’s face. They’ve been playing for quite some time, and truth be told, she wants some one-on-one time with her girlfriend before the day is done. She can think of one surefire way for the game to end in exactly five seconds.

Standing and stretching so that her back is turned to the group, Elsa deftly unbuttons one notch of her blouse. She turns back and bends over to lean on the couch’s arm, her shirt showing just a hint of cleavage now, and directly at Anna’s eye-level no less.

Anna glances up at Elsa then does a double-take, now starring down Elsa’s blouse. Her eyes dilate, flicking to Elsa’s and Elsa bites her lip, raising her brows at Anna, and giggles. Apparently the combination is an effective one. Anna coughs to try to redirect her attention and the air blows the card castle down.

“Yes!” Punz pumps her fists in the air, high fiving Elsa.

“No!” Eugene drops to his knees. He picks up some of the cards and looks at them in anguish. “They were too young!” he laments melodramatically. He glares at Anna. “Anna, you useless lesbian!” he accuses her.

Kristoff, Elsa, and Rapunzel all double over in laughter as Anna turns bright red.

“What? You’re blaming me?! I’m not the one who cheated!” she huffs, glaring at Elsa, who only laughs harder.

“Who me?” she asks innocently, and Anna scowls at her, crossing her arms. “Oh, don’t give me that. You know we were going to win anyway. I’m the master at building castles.” _After all, I’ve had years of practice…_

A corner of Anna’s lips turn up. “We will have a rematch, _dear_. And this time, blouses stay buttoned.”

Elsa snickers into a hand and the rest of them join her with guffaws.

“Phew!” Punz wipes away a tear as she chuckles. “Okay, babe, I’m tired. Wanna head home?”

“Sure,” Eugene smiles and stands, retrieving their coats and Punz’s purse.

“So,” Punz sneaks Elsa off to the side while Anna and Kristoff clean up. “You’re happy? Things are going well?”

Elsa smiles and looks behind Punz at Anna. “Very happy, Punz. Never been happier.”

“I assume she knows…everything?” Punz asks.

“Yeah, she does. I told her last night actually,” Elsa gives her a reassuring nod.

“Good, good,” Punz returns the nod. “How’d she take it? Things seem pretty great between you two.”

“Um,” Elsa nods. “Well…like I said, last night I told her everything, and she took it amazingly, Punz. She’s so good to me. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve her.”

Punz smiles warmly in response.

“Ready?” Eugene finds them, holding Punz’s stuff for her.

“Yeah, babe. Thanks,” she smiles at him. He helps her into her coat, squeezing her shoulders affectionately before going to say his goodbyes to the others.

Punz smiles warmly at Elsa, taking the blonde’s cheek in her palm. “I’m glad you’re so happy, Els. No one deserves it more.”

“Maybe you,” Elsa smiles warmly in return. “Congrats again. You and Eugene seem really happy. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the wedding.”

“Nonsense,” Punz waves the comment off. “You _were_ there,” she says, placing a hand on her heart.

Elsa swallows a lump in her throat. She’d missed so much of life growing up in the institute, but Punz always made her feel better about it. “Thanks,” she says, taking her cousin in for a hug.

“Always,” Punz hugs her tighter. “Okay. Take care of yourself, and good luck, Els.”

“I will. See you later Punz,” Elsa says, pulling away. The brunette gives one last wave to the three of them, before walking out the door with Eugene.

Kristoff stretches. “Well that was fun.”

“Yeah, it was,” Elsa says wistfully. “I’m glad you called her, actually.”

Kristoff pats her shoulder. “Me too,” he smiles. “All right. I’m headed to bed.”

“What?” Elsa frowns. “It’s only nine.”

“Yeah, but I have a client that needs to meet early in the morning and besides,” he lowers his voice, “I assume you want some time with Anna.”

“Oh,” Elsa’s eyes brighten. “Yeah, that’d be great, Kris. Thanks.”

Kristoff winks and says his goodnight to Anna before ducking into his room early.

“Well, well…” Anna saunters up to her. She rests her arms over Elsa’s shoulders. “Seems I have Miss Cheats Her Way to Victory all to myself.”

“Excuse me,” Elsa says, bringing her hand to her chest in mock offense. “I do not cheat. I merely used my natural gifts to my advantage.”

“You used your feminine wiles,” Anna narrows her eyes, but undermines the glare with a smile.

Elsa moves to kiss her, but Anna pulls away playfully. Elsa grins, dipping for a kiss once again, but Anna still pulls away, a matching grin gracing her lips.    “Ah ah,” Anna tsks. “Cheaters never prosper.”

“Are you serious?” Elsa laughs.

Anna shrugs casually, and walks them backward toward Elsa’s bedroom. “Maybe.”

Elsa narrows her eyes. “What can I do to be absolved?” she baits Anna.

“Hmmm,” Anna smiles. “I can think of one or two things,” she baits her back, finally bringing a grinning kiss to her lips. She pulled back, and rests her forehead against Elsa’s.

“I love you,” she says softly, and Elsa can’t help but beam.

“I love you too, Anna,” she replies, kissing the redhead’s nose.

Anna scrunches her face, before pulling Elsa into a tight embrace, resting her head in the crook of the blonde’s neck. Elsa smiles, resting her cheek on Anna’s hair, and runs her hands through the red locks. Anna pulled Elsa impossibly closer.

“I missed you,” she mutters into Elsa’s shoulder. The blonde chuckles, placing a kiss on the top of Anna’s head.

“We were only apart for a day, Anna,” she giggles, though she knew how the redhead felt. One day was long enough.

Anna pulls back, teal eyes meeting blue, and Elsa almost thinks she sees a deep, unspeakable sadness flash through Anna’s features. But it’s gone before the blonde had time to realize she had seen anything, replaced by one of Anna’s prize winning smiles.

“One day was too long, Elsa,” she says gently, cupping Elsa’s cheek. “And I don’t ever plan on doing it again.”

Elsa smiles back at Anna, leaning into her touch. The redhead begins leading them back towards the bed, and, despite how much she wants Anna, Elsa hesitates.

“A-Anna…I’m not sure—” Anna cuts her off with a gentle kiss.

“Relax, Els,” she says, smirking at the blonde. “I just wanna cuddle.”

“O-okay,” Elsa says, allowing Anna to pull her onto the bed, and wrap her arms around her. It only takes a few minutes for Elsa to get comfortable in Anna’s embrace, the redhead being the bigger spoon, and she lets out a content sigh. She hadn’t realized just how tired she was before, but now her exhaustion was hitting her full force.

“Go to sleep, Els,” Anna chuckles after Elsa yawned for the millionth time. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Mmkay,” Elsa mumbles, unconsciousness pulling her in fast. As she drifts off to sleep, she feels Anna stroke her hair, and plant gentle kisses on her shoulder.

Elsa smiles softly, turning to face and snuggle closer to Anna.

“Goodnight, Els,” Anna says gently.

“Goo’mite,” Elsa sighs, finally letting sleep take her.

The last thought on her mind, is that in all her twenty-two years of life, she’d never once been happier.


	13. Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back! Sorry I took so long to update :P I've been super busy with school and ROTC, so I haven't had much time to write, and on top of that I've had really REALLY bad writers block. Like seriously, I had such a hard time writing this chapter, it's not even funny. I just couldn't seem to get the story to move forward in the way I wanted it to. But all that aside, I promise I'll try to be better about updating! And of course, I'd like to give a huge shout out to my awesome beta/co-writer, LitNiche! Thanks for sticking around and I hope you enjoy!

Fall from Grace

Chapter 13

“Elsa, are you sure you’re okay? You’re turning kind of green,” Anna asks for the millionth time.

“I’m fine, Anna,” Elsa sighs, exasperated. “I’m just a little nervous. I’ve never flown before.”

Something twinkles in the redhead’s eye for a moment, before she smiles, taking Elsa’s hand. “There’s nothing to be nervous about, baby. I’m sure you’ll be fine. In fact, I’d even bet that you’ll be a natural.”

Elsa rolls her eyes, smiling back and kissing Anna’s cheek. “Thank you.”

“Ugh, can’t a guy catch a break?” Kristoff complains from the driver’s seat. “I swear all it is with you guys is mushy gushy crap. I’ll be glad to be rid of you for a few days,” he teases, smirking through the rearview mirror.

“Oh hush, Kris. You’re just jealous,” Anna scolds lightly, smirking back as Elsa giggles behind her hand.

“Riiiight,” Kristoff rolls his eyes. “Oh, looks like we’re here.”

The dirty blonde pulls the car into the airport parking lot before helping the two girls carry their luggage to customs.

“Holy shit!” Kristoff groans, lifting Anna’s bag. “What the hell is in here? Rocks?!”

“Maaaaaybe,” sings Anna.

Elsa laughs. “I wouldn’t be surprised. She’s already taken over three of my drawers at our place.”

Anna sighs. “A girl needs her things,” she says in a matter of fact tone.

Kristoff grunts, placing the luggage on a rolling cart for them. “Okay,” he stands, clapping his hands together. “Have fun!” he starts to get into the car.

Elsa frowns, indignant. “What? That’s it? No hug? No advice?” Anna giggles, making Elsa frown in her direction. “What?”

“He’s excited for his date,” Anna grins.

“Hey! You said you’d wait to tell her ‘til you guys were gone! Ugh,” Kristoff groans.

With wide eyes, Elsa turns back to Kristoff. “You…you have a date and YOU DIDN’T TELL ME??!!” She starts to scramble after him, but Anna holds her back. “Who is this girl? How do I know she’s good enough for you? She’s probably some no good, two-timing—“”

“Baby! Baby!” Anna chuckles. “I introduced them. She’s cool. You’ll like her. That is, if Kristoff doesn’t screw it up before we get back.”

Elsa takes a few deep breaths, closing her eyes to calm down. “You both are in so much trouble.”

Kristoff snorts and she opens her eyes to glare at him, effectively shutting him up. “I will hear every detail when we get back,” she points a miffed finger at him.

“All right. All right. Sheesh,” Kristoff holds up his arms in surrender. “Every detail.”

Anna rolls her eyes at the pair. “Come on, Gorgeous. We’ve got a plane to catch and Kristoff will tell us all about it when we get back, okay?”

Elsa turns her icy stare on her redhead next. “Did you not hear that you’re in trouble too? I want to know everything about this girl on our way to Vancouver.”

Anna’s eyes widen in fear. “Yes, Ma’am!” she says.

Elsa’s eyes soften and she chuckles as she turns back to the dirty blonde. “Good luck, Kris. Don’t screw it up.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kristoff playfully glares at the blonde, before pulling her in for a hug. “Have fun, Kid. And don’t forget, you have to call or text me twice a day, and you have to take you’re medication every—”

“Every six hours, yeah, I know Kris. We’ve been over that,” Elsa huffs, smiling at him. “I won’t forget, I promise. Now go; you don’t want to keep your lover waiting.”

“Shut up,” Kristoff laughs. “All right, I’ll see you two when you get back.”

He gives the girls one last wave goodbye, before walking off. Elsa returns the gesture, before turning to Anna in excitement.

“We’re going to Vancouver!” she smiles happily. “I can’t believe it! I’ve never been out of the state, much less the country!”

“Easy there, Els. Don’t have an aneurism,” Anna laughs, pulling the blonde through the airport. 

They bypass all the luggage and security checks without event, and are left waiting for the plane to arrive and board.

Anna flips through a travel book on Vancouver and Elsa peers to read over her shoulder.

The redhead claps the book shut. “What are you doing?”

Elsa tilts her head in question. “Um…reading?”

Anna rolls her eyes. “I told you, I’m making this whole trip a surprise. If you read over my shoulder about something we’re going to do, you’ll spoil it.”

Elsa purses her lips to the side in an overt pout. “Meanie. I’m bored.”

Sighing, Anna pulls out a crossword puzzle book.

Elsa scrunches her nose. “Ew. I hate those.”

Anna rolls her eyes and pulls the blonde in for a kiss. “What am I going to do with you?” she teases her.

Elsa grins into the kiss. “I thought that was a surprise.”

*****line break*****

Elsa collapses on the bed face first when they enter the hotel room. “Oh my Gaaawwwd, that was the longest day ever.”

She hears Anna chuckle and drop her bags before feeling the bed bounce as she joins her. “Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad.”

Elsa lifts her face to peek at the girl. “Are we doing anything tonight?”

The redhead smirks. “I was thinking we could just have dinner tonight since we’ve been travelling all day.”

Elsa smiles and nods. “Okay. I’ll get ready,” she grins, running to the bathroom with her bag.

“Dress in something sexy!” Anna calls after her, and Elsa resists the urge to roll her eyes at her girlfriend.

She peeks in her bag and bites her lip as she pulls out an ice-blue dress, knowing Anna liked the color on her. Punz had helped her pick it out before leaving town. Climbing into a slip, and wiggling her way into the dress next, she tripped, landing on her rear. “Oof!”

“Everything okay in there?” she hears Anna giggle.

“Yeah!” she calls before grumbling to herself and fumbling until she’s standing on both feet once again.

“Ten points for the landing,” Olaf says, floating above the vanity.

Elsa grimaces. “Please, please!” she begs him in a whisper, “go away. I just want to have a good time on this vacation with Anna, okay? You can bug me next week, I swear!”

Olaf throws up his arms. “Okay, sheesh. Sorry. I just wanted to drop in, but apparently I’m unwanted. I’ll see you later, Els.”

Elsa lets out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Olaf.”

“Just uh…” Olaf pauses, “one thing.”

Elsa glares at him, releasing a frustrated huff. Of course he wouldn’t leave that easily. “What?”

“It’s just…you’ve told Anna all about yourself, right?” Olaf plays with her stick of mascara as she nods in affirmation. “Well then isn’t it time Anna tells you a bit more about herself? I mean…what do you really know about her other than she’s fond of reindeers?”

Elsa can practically feel smoke coming out of her ears, she’s so furious. “Leave!” she hisses.

Olaf shrugs and disappears.

Elsa goes to the sink, running a towel under cool water. She rings it out and dabs her cheeks and forehead to cool herself down. It’s ridiculous. She knows Anna. She _knows_ Anna. Her girlfriend is compassionate, kind, sweet, beautiful, funny, generous, and a million other things that she _knew_. How dare Olaf suggest differently?

Bracing herself on the vanity, Elsa takes a deep breath then exhales slowly. She’s just nervous. She hasn’t ever been in a strange city before and she can’t remember the last time Kristoff wasn’t a phone call away. She needs to eat and spend some quality time with Anna. That’ll relax her.

“Ready, babe?” Anna calls and Elsa looks at herself in the mirror. She retouches her make-up and gives herself a good, long stare. _I can do this. I can be happy. I_ can _have a normal life._

“Elsa?” Anna says, popping her head through the door. “Everything okay in here—wow.”

Elsa turns to see an awestruck gaze fixed on her by her girlfriend. The sight makes a corner of her lips pull up immediately in a smirk. She watches Anna gulp and tug her collar, teal eyes tracing every inch of her until they lock with hers.

“You look…wow,” Anna says again, a faint blush on her cheeks. She shakes her head before smirking and walking over to Elsa, gently placing her hands on the blonde’s shoulders. “I guess you took it to heart when I said dress sexy,” she winked, and now it’s Elsa’s turn to blush.

Anna giggles, and leans in to place a soft kiss on Elsa’s lips, before turning and pulling her towards the door.

“Come on,” she says impatiently, a large smile on her face. “I’m _starving_.”

Elsa giggles, allowing Anna to pull her out of the hotel room, Olaf all but forgotten. That is, until she turns to close the door, and sees the boy staring after them, a grim look on his face. The sight causes Elsa to pause for a moment, a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. Then, the door’s closed, blocking off her view. Anna’s pulling her down the hall, rambling on and on about how hungry she is. Elsa tries to listen to her girlfriend, but she can’t seem to get the look on Olaf’s face out of her mind.

*****line break*****

“The Flying Pig?” Elsa asks, her brow raised in question. She doesn’t want to upset Anna, but what kind of name is that?

“I know! What a funny sounding name!” Anna grins at the sign.

“Right?” Elsa agrees and matches her grin, half because of the name and half because Anna and she always seemed to be on the same wavelength.

“But the food is supposed be really great,” Anna assures Elsa.  “Come on.”

Elsa follows Anna inside. They sit across from each other, Elsa letting Anna take the long booth seat while she takes the chair.

“Good evening,” a skeletal man bows slightly before their table with gentility. “My name is Jack,” he says, “and I’ll be serving you tonight. Before we begin, may I ask if you two are celebrating a special occasion?”

Elsa is about to tell him they are just taking a vacation, but Anna pipes up first. “We’re celebrating our first anniversary! Elsa, honey, I still can’t believe we’ve been married a whole year!”

Blinking rapidly as she catches on, Elsa clears her throat. “M-me either. In fact, it sounds unbelievable.”

Anna gives Elsa a gentle kick under the table, and the blonde has to fight back a snicker at being called out.

“Wonderful!” Jack throws out his arms as if in triumph. “We at The Flying Pig love being a part of celebrations. We’ll be sure this is a memorable night for you both.”

“That reminds me,” Anna scrunches her face in puzzlement. “Why are you called that? Do your chefs specialize in pork or something?”

“Ah, no, _madame_ ,” Jack shakes his head. “They mean to point out that when you step through that door,” he points toward the front entry, “you enter a new world in which you can see impossibilities right before your eyes.”

“Ha! Like flying pigs. Got it!” Anna says, pointing two gun-shaped hands at Jack. “Thanks,” she winks, making Elsa roll her eyes.

“I’ll let you two decide on a beverage for the evening. Let me know if you have any questions about pairing a drink with your dinner,” Jack says, and bows away.

“So?” Anna turns her look to Elsa. “Whatcha think? Kinda cool, huh?”

Elsa smiles and nods, opening the drink menu. She isn’t planning to drink alcohol of course, but she can get something ‘virgin’ if it looks good.

When Jack returns they order their drinks and food, taking Jack up on the specials of the evening—Anna couldn’t decide between two of them, so the pair decided to share one of each.

Anna slurps the last bit of her beverage, already finished with the ice cream, juicy excuse of her first drink.

“Would the lady like another?” Elsa says suavely with a thinly veiled smirk.

“Indeed, she would,” Anna says with a grin, not missing a beat.

Elsa nods towards Jack who seems to be poised as if to pounce at the opportunity to serve them something. Anna’s drink is delivered all but instantly, and is immediately followed by their food.

Digging into her steak with enthusiasm, Anna takes a bite roughly the size of her fist and turns beet red.

“Hot!” she says at once, fanning herself.

Elsa giggles under her breath as she delicately separates a portion of her sablefish off to eat, not having to cut it, the fish being so tender. “Doesn’t that steak have a chili rub?”

“I fo-got!” Anna says around her bite. She fans herself again, evidently still trying to cool herself off. “It’s good though!”

“This is too,” Elsa agrees. “How’d you find this place?”

“How else? Google.” Anna laughs. “I saw a pig with wings and thought ‘hell yeah’,” the redhead chuckles.

Elsa chuckles too, enjoying the sound of their mingling laughter. She feels for Anna’s foot and they intertwine their feet as they continue to eat.

“So,” Anna says as she forks a much more manageable piece of steak than the one she’d tried before, “how does it feel to be out of the country?”

Elsa ponders it with a smile. She feels…lighter. After all, she is currently in a country without people wondering if she should be locked up in a padded room somewhere. How can she not feel liberated even more than she already is?

“It feels wonderful, Anna,” she tells the redhead. She meets Anna’s eyes with her own, trying to convey how grateful she is for this birthday present.

Anna smiles at her, looking down as she dabs her lips clean with a napkin before her eyelids flick, teal orbs peering up at Elsa once again. They sit in silent appreciation of one another, happy to stretch the moment out as long as they can. Anna takes Elsa’s hand, and while icy blue eyes are still locked with teal ones, Elsa feels her hand being raised to soft lips. Anna’s gaze only breaks when she finally kisses pale knuckles. Elsa shivers, not cold, but something else…excited? She finds herself biting her bottom lip as Anna drags her own lips across each knuckle, then presses a single kiss to the back of her hand before releasing it once again.

Elsa smiles, a warm and hazy fog settling over her thoughts that she doesn’t particularly mind. It’s soft…like Anna.

Dimples form on Anna’s cheeks and she picks up one of her matchstick fries. She props it between her lips and brings it and herself forward. Elsa grins, taking the offered fry and kiss at once.

Anna giggles. She lets her digits trace Elsa’s jawline lightly as she returns to her seat. “I’m a firm believer in playing with one’s food.”

Elsa’s still wearing what she assumed to be a dopey grin. “I…I’m okay with that,” she laughs softly as she touches her lips, before returning to her meal, her mind still foggy.

The two girls continue their meal, laughing, joking, and talking about anything and everything. When they finish with their food, Jack brings them out a single, large piece of cake with two spoons, despite neither girl having ordered it.

“On the house,” Jack says, when they protest. “Consider it an anniversary gift from The Flying Pig, to you.”

“Um, thanks,” Elsa says as Anna tries to hold back her laughter. Jack smiles and bows away, leaving them alone once more. Elsa turns to Anna who is just about to dig into her side of the dessert. The blonde watches Anna fork a piece of cake, and just as she’s about to bring it to her mouth, Elsa has an idea.

“Chm,” she clears her throat, just before Anna takes her first bite. The redhead pauses, looking up at Elsa with curious, teal eyes, causing the blonde to smirk. She purposefully looks down at the fork, before meeting Anna’s gaze once more. Anna hesitates for a moment, looking confused, before Elsa sees it click in her head.

Anna’s lips turn up in a devious smile, as she offers the bite to Elsa. The blonde’s smirk widens before she slowly closes her lips around the fork, making sure to keep eye contact the whole time. “Mmm,” she hums, almost moans, and closes her eyes to savor the chocolate taste. When she opens her eyes she sees Anna tugging at her collar, and all but drooling.

Elsa laughs, effectively dispelling Anna’s transfixed awe.

“Shut up,” Anna laughs with her. “Not my fault you’re drop dead gorgeous, you tease.”

“Who’s teasing?” Elsa chuckles then slaps a hand over her mouth to shut herself up. “I-I mean—”

“Welllllll well well!” Anna grins at her and laughs again. “Is Elsa Arendelle horny?”

Elsa’s jaw drops and she turns roughly the shade of a fire truck. At this, Anna bursts into another fit of laughter. Elsa crosses her arms and purses her lips to one side in a pout. “Well I _was_ considering the possibility of sleeping with you tonight, but you’ve blown it.”

Anna’s guffaws stop instantly. “Wait, what?” she asks, eyes wide.

It’s Elsa’s turn to laugh it up. She snickers and sticks her tongue out at Anna who rolls her eyes, but grins good-naturedly. Forking another piece of the cake, Anna plops a mouthful in and says through her bite “Juszz fer dat, om not shawring.”

Elsa rolls her eyes too, laughing at her girlfriend. “Love you too, _dear._ ”

Anna chuckles and leans over the table to give Elsa a chaste kiss. She pulls away, smirking at the glazed over expression in Elsa’s eyes.

After a few more minutes, the two girls finally pay their bill, and head back to the hotel, deciding to walk instead of taking a cab. Anna immediately latches onto Elsa’s arm, and the blonde chuckles under her breath, leaning her head onto Anna’s as they walk.

“Anna,” the blonde says after a few minutes, and the redhead hums in response. “I just…I wanted to say thanks.”

Anna lifts her head, both girls halting, and she looks at Elsa in confusion. “For what?”

Elsa pauses for a moment to smile at her girlfriend warmly. “For…everything,” she says, intertwining her hands with Anna’s. “For being here, for understanding….for loving me. Just…thank you.”

Anna grinned widely at Elsa, leaning up to kiss her gently. “Anytime, Els,” she says cheekily when she pulls away, earning a light shove from the blonde. Then she reaches up and cups Elsa’s cheeks, looking deep into her eyes. “I’d do anything for you,” she says solemnly. “I love you.”

Elsa leans into her touch. “I love you too, Anna.”

Anna pulls her into a tight hug, and the blonde sighs in contentment, resting her chin on top of the ginger’s hair.

“I’m never letting you go again,” Anna mumbles into her shoulder, and Elsa chuckles.

“Ditto,” she responds, feeling Anna smirk. Elsa smiles, and kisses the top of Anna’s head, opening her eyes to look down at the redhead. But when she does, she sees a familiar mop of white hair from across the street, and she tenses.

Olaf stares at them, his hands in his pocket, shoulders hunched. Normally, Elsa would be worried about his stance, but that’s not what concerns her. It’s the venomous glare he is giving Anna. It frightens the blonde, because in all the years of ‘knowing’ him, she had never once seen him glare like that. It makes her wonder why her subconscious would act like this. Anna feels her tense, and pulls back, looking up in concern.

“Els?” she questions, and Elsa blinks, looking down at the redhead, before glancing back up to Olaf, only to find him still glaring daggers at the ginger. Anna follows her gaze with puzzlement written on her face. “Whatcha looking at?”

“N-nothing,” Elsa stammers, still nervous about the look Olaf was giving Anna. When the redhead furrows her brow at the blonde’s denial, Elsa quickly corrects herself. “I-I mean…I just thought I saw…you know… _him._ ”

Anna cocks her head in confusion for a moment, before her eyes widen in understanding. “Oh.”

“Y-yeah,” Elsa mutters, looking down at her feet. The blonde is still self-conscious about speaking to the ginger about Olaf, still afraid that Anna might leave her, despite the redhead’s constant reassurance. That, and the fact that her subconscious seemed to be hostile towards Anna, for whatever unknown reason, prevented her from looking up, even when she felt Anna cup her cheek softly.

“Do…do you want to talk about it?” Anna presses gently, and Elsa can feel teal eyes studying her. She shakes her head, still refusing to meet her girlfriend’s gaze. “Elsa, look at me.”

Again, Elsa shakes her head. She hears Anna sigh, then feels her hand move under her chin, forcing her to look up, blue eyes meeting concerned teal ones.

“What’s wrong, Els?” she asks softly, yet sternly, and Elsa knew she expected an answer. She pauses for a moment before responding.

“H-he…he’s glaring…at you,” Elsa revealed. “He’s never done that before. To anyone. Not even my father or the Weasel. It just…it’s scaring me,” she admitted, fighting the urge to look down again.

Anna hums and looks in the direction Olaf is in, as if she is pondering Elsa’s words. “I can probably guess why.”

Olaf shakes his head at Anna in scorn and disappears.

Elsa turns to Anna, confused. “What? What do you mean? You mean you can guess why...” Elsa hesitated, but decided to brave on, “why my subconscious is hostile toward you.”

Anna turns back to Elsa and the blonde can see a change in the girl’s eyes. They’re determined, but reluctant at the same time. It’s almost looks as if she’s made up her mind about something.

“No,” she says slowly, “I mean…Olaf and I haven’t seen eye to eye concerning you for a very long time.”

Elsa’s heart rate skyrockets, and she feels her stomach plummet. _This whole time._ This whole time Anna had been another hallucination. But then…was Kristoff real? Was anything? Did…did this mean she was still in that hell hole of a hospital? That she had just been living a dream for the past six months? Was this world some kind of…coping mechanism?

Elsa’s mind races as she tries to remember details that prove Anna is real—that this entire world is real—but she quickly becomes dizzy. She hears Anna calling out to her, as if she is very far away, but she can’t seem to get enough air to speak. The world around her blurs and spins before she feels herself falling. She thinks she feels someone catch her, but she can’t be sure. The last thing she sees before she finally falls unconscious is Anna looking over her with worried eyes, and then blackness engulfs her.


	14. Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, tiny bit of smut in this chapter. Nothing too graphic but it's there. Hope y'all enjoy and I'd like to thank both LitNiche, my awesome beta/co-writer, and 1Syphira, who wrote the smut for me, cause they is both the awesomest. Thanks guys!

Fall from Grace

Chapter 13

_Elsa stands, tears rolling down her face as she glares at the white-haired boy in front of her. She feels herself shaking with fear, anger, and desperation. This is the only way. It’s the only way to save her. Olaf should understand that. He_ needs _to understand that._

_“Do it,” she orders, her fists clenched at her side. Olaf only gives her a pitiful stare._

_“Els—”_

_“DO IT!” Elsa screams, cutting him off. She knows what he is going to say, and she doesn’t want to hear it. All that matters right now is saving the one person that she cares most for in this world—no, this universe. More hot tears fall down and off her face, plopping on the ground by her feet. When Olaf only looks at his feet she hisses in frustration. “Damn it, Olaf!”_

_The boy looks up at her, his own tears starting to fall. He looks to his left, where a small form lay unconscious, her wings covering the worst of her injuries, before turning his eyes back to the blonde. Silence permeates the air as the boy considers her plea. She knows how hard this is for him. After all, she’s all the family he has left. But she’s made her choice. She’d made it a long time ago._

_“Please,” Elsa begs, no longer possessing the strength to yell. “Olaf, please, I need this. I—” Elsa looks over at the form, her heart shattering again at the sight. “I can’t lose her,” she says in a broken voice._

_“Are you sure?” Olaf all but whispers, drawing her attention back to him. “Are you really sure about this, Els? You know there’s no turning back. Once it’s done—” he pauses, shaking his head as he wipes at his eyes. The sight of his tears would’ve broken her heart, if it wasn’t already in pieces. Despite the fact that Olaf looked like an adult, he was still quite young. Sometimes Elsa forgot that._

_The blonde lets her gaze soften, and she walks up to the boy, cupping his chin and forcing him to look at her. “I’m sure,” she says, resolution in her voice. Olaf stares at her for a long moment, before nodding once, and taking a step back._

_“Alright, Els,” he sniffs, defeated. “Okay.”_

_Olaf looks up into Elsa’s eyes once more, determination playing across his features. Then he plunges his hand into her chest, and pulls out her heart._

~.~.~.~.~

“NO!” Elsa gasps, shooting up from the bed where she lay, fighting off the hands that were attempting to hold her down. “NO! Get off me!” Elsa yells when the hands only tighten their hold on her. “Let me go!”

“Elsa! Elsa calm down! It’s me!” someone next to her says frantically, and she immediately recognizes the voice. She slows her flailing, and finally opens her eyes to look upon her assaulter. Familiar teal eyes greet her, looking at her with worry.

“A-Anna?” Elsa questions, no longer struggling against the redhead’s firm grip. Then, before the other girl can answer, Elsa collapses in her arms, sobs wracking her body. Anna pauses for a moment, seemingly startled, before wrapping her arms around the blonde, and holding her tight.

“Shh,” she coos, gently rocking Elsa back and forth. “It’s okay. I’m here. I’m right here. I’m sorry, Elsa. I’m so sorry.”

Elsa shakes her head in the crook of Anna’s neck. “I-I don’t…W-what is ha-happening?” she asks, but it feels more like a plea. She has never so desperately hoped for her sanity. She clings to Anna, pleading with the Powers that Be that the girl is real, that she’s not just in her head, or that if she is, Elsa will never be the wiser. Anna is too wonderful; she makes Elsa too happy. The blonde is certain that if angels walk the Earth, Anna is one of them.

Anna soothes Elsa with soft hushes and continues to rock them both back and forth in a gentle rhythm. “It’s okay, Elsa. It’s all going to be okay. I promise, my love. We’re together again. That’s all that matters.”

Elsa’s mind latches onto one word, as if fighting for self-preservation. “Again?” she asks, afraid of the answer. Are her fears about to be realized? Is Anna... really here?

“Elsa,” Anna’s tone becomes earnest, and she pulls them apart to place her hands on Elsa’s shoulders, bracing the blonde. “You’re strong enough for this. _We’re_ strong enough for this,” she says firmly and locks eyes with Elsa. “He didn’t want me to do this, but—”

“Do what? Anna, what are you talking about?” Elsa demands, shrugging out of Anna’s grip with a frown. “What the hell is going on?” Suddenly, Elsa’s head begins to throb, and the room spins. She grunts in pain, holding her head in her hands.

“Elsa? Elsa what is it?” the blonde feels hands on her shoulders, but can’t seem to answer. Then, everything goes black. 

~.~.~.~.~

_Elsa is grinning. She looks on and beams with pride, joy, love, and every other warm feeling in the universe as Anna descends from the Light with her brand new, ebony wings. “Beautiful,” she grins still as she speaks._

_Anna’s first act with her wings, to Elsa’s delight, is to reach out with them to her own white wings. “Your beautifuller,” Anna grins back._

_Wrapped in Anna’s wings, and enveloping the ginger with her own, Elsa sighs contentedly. She brushes her lips against Anna’s, enjoying their almost velvet softness now matched by the silkiness of a feather that caresses her jawline, and she can’t help but smile into the kiss._

_“Come on!” Elsa takes both of Anna’s wrists, and steps back._

_“Oh Elsa, you know I’d like to, but I’ve never…I’m mean shouldn’t I practice somewhere a little lower and—“_

_“Come on!” Elsa repeats with a grin. She tugs Anna toward the edge of a building._

_Anna bites her lip, but Olaf swoops down, his light brown wings working to keep him afloat. “Come on, Anna!” he joins Elsa in encouraging the ginger. “It’s easy. Just glide and swoosh, glide and swoosh!” he instructs, whooping with laughter as he spins in the air._

_Elsa hovers in one spot, letting her snow white wings beat against the air around her. She loves flying. She had never felt so free than the moment she’d first tried it, and she’s ecstatic she’s here to witness Anna’s first time._

_Anna takes her hand when Elsa offers it to her. Teal eyes and a grin meet Elsa’s._

_“Ready?” Elsa asks, a glint of excitement showing through._

_“I was born ready!” Anna kisses Elsa before she leaps off the building._

~.~.~.~.~

“Damn it, Anna!”

“Shut up, Olaf!”

“No! I fucking _told_ you this would happen! But did you listen to me?”

“Olaf—”

“Nooo. Because Anna knows best, right?”

“For fuck’s sake, Olaf, can you stop yelling for one second and HELP me?!”

Elsa feels a gentle hand touch her forehead. Sweat rolls down her brow, and she can’t seem to catch her breath. She’s hot. So hot.

“God, she’s burning up…” Elsa feels the hand retract, only to be followed by what feels like a cool rag. It helps, but only a little. Several painful seconds pass by, and Elsa can hear someone pacing back and forth before Olaf speaks up again.

“You couldn’t just leave well enough alone, could you?” he huffs.

“Don’t start again,” Anna growls. “Us fighting isn’t going to help her right now.”

“Nothing is going to help her, Anna! She’s dying!”

“No. She’ll make it. She’s strong, Olaf. Stronger than you give her credit for.”

“No, she used to be strong, Anna,” Olaf snarls, “but now she’s only human. She’s nothing like the Elsa we knew.”

“Yeah, you made damn sure of that,” Anna responds venomously. “How could you do that to her? Put her in that place?”

“I was trying to protect her, Anna,” Olaf hisses defensively.

“Protect her?! How the hell was that _protecting_ her?” Anna yells.

Elsa, despite her discomfort, tries to make sense what she’s hearing. Because Anna and Olaf can’t be talking. Because Olaf isn’t real…which would mean Anna isn’t real either. Elsa’s head begins to throb again. This doesn’t make since. None of this makes any since.

“Because I _knew_ you would try something like this! God, I never should’ve believed it when you told me that you’d given up, that you’d be happy just spending at least one lifetime with her. If I had stopped you from meeting her, then this never would’ve happened,” Olaf says bitterly, and Elsa almost thinks she hears his voice break.

It’s silent for a few moments, and Elsa fights the urge to squirm while the fever ravages her body. Unable to take the heat anymore, the blonde groans in discomfort.

“A-Anna,” she whimpers feebly, reaching out blindly for the ginger. She wants to open her eyes, but she can’t seem to find the energy.

“Elsa?” Anna exclaims, and the blonde feels someone take her hand and cup her cheek. “Elsa, baby, I’m here.”

“Anna,” Elsa groans again, swallowing thickly. “Hot.”

“I know, Sweetie,” Anna coos, and Elsa can feel the redhead brushing back her bangs. “But you’re gonna be okay. It’ll be over soon; I promise.”

Elsa nods, believing Anna’s words as she feels the ginger wipe her face down with a dry cloth.

“Olaf, can’t you do something about this?” Anna asks after another minute of Elsa suffering the terrible fever that was racking her body.

Elsa hears a sigh, then the rag is removed, only to be replaced by another hand, this one ice cold. The blonde flinches at first, but then relaxes as the chill radiating from the unknown palm seeps from her forehead to the rest of her body. After a moment, the unbearable heat that Elsa has been feeling since she’d become conscious is reduced, leaving her exhausted. She feels the pull of unconsciousness once more. As she slowly fades, she hears a sigh of relief.

“There,” Olaf says, and the hand is removed. “That should at least keep her comfortable.”

“You sound so enthusiastic,” Anna snaps. “You _could_ have a little faith, you know.”

“Anna,” Olaf sighs, wearily. “When has that ever helped before?”

~.~.~.~.~

_“Oh, come on, Els!” Anna pouts. “It’s just one day! You’ll be_ fine _.”_

_“I-I don’t know, Anna,” Elsa says uncertainly. “What if I’m needed?”_

_“Elsa, the man practically created the whole_ universe _by himself. I’m sure he’ll be fine without his right hand for a few hours,” Anna responds, smirking at the blonde. “Please?”_

_Elsa tries to resist Anna’s puppy dog eyes, but one look at the redhead, and she knows she’s lost. “Ugh, fine, Anna. But just this once, and only for a few hours. Okay?”_

_Anna squeals in delight, wrapping her arms around Elsa’s neck. “Yay!” she says excitedly, pulling back and giving Elsa a quick peck on the lips, before flapping her wings and pulling Elsa down to Earth with her. The two girls land near a pond, Elsa much more gracefully than Anna, and the redhead immediately turns towards the blonde._

_“Do the magic, Els!” she demands with a grin, and Elsa rolls her eyes at the younger girl, before bringing her hands together._

_Elsa rolls up her sleeves, too enchanted by the angel before her to ever refuse. A half smile plays on her lips as she unfolds pockets of cold in the air that split into bursts of ice. Like tiny meteorites, they shoot in random directions only to burst once more, filling the sky with crystalline fireworks._

_Above, the Northern Lights dance, and before she knows it, so is Elsa. Anna has taken hold of her and they’re spinning, spinning, spinning. Elsa isn’t sure if it’s Anna or the spinning, but she feels dangerously close to falling in more than one sense. Her heart is racing at an alarming rate, and her breathing is heavy. She hasn’t ever felt this; any of this. Anna and she tumble over, landing with soft thuds in the fresh powder snow._

_“Hey, Elsa?” Anna asks, and Elsa can hear a lilt of laughter in her voice._

_“Yes?” Elsa asks in return. She inclines her head to see Anna grinning at her. Anna practically seeps joy so much that it makes Elsa’s heart ache; that’s new too._

_“Wanna build a snowman?” Anna waggles her brows._

_Elsa laughs and flaps her wings to stand. Anna follows suit and they look down to see two perfect snow angels._

_“Well?” Anna jumps up and down. “Wanna?”_

_Elsa turns her gaze back to Anna, and though she knows it’ll be her undoing, she looks into teal eyes. They dance with more brilliance than the lights above. Elsa steps forward, cupping Anna’s cheek, and encourages Anna forward. “Always,” she answers at last, just before her lips touch Anna’s grinning ones._

~.~.~.~.~

“Anna, maybe it’s time to—”

“Don’t you finish that sentence, Olaf. Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

 “Anna, it’s been two days. She’s…she’s not going to make it.”

“Fuck off.”

“Anna—”

“Look, unless you’re going to help, you can just leave, Olaf.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

…

“At least get some rest. Please?”

“I-I…I don’t want to leave her.”

“Go, Anna. I’ll watch over her.”

“…promise you’ll call me if anything changes?”

“I promise.”

~.~.~.~.~

_Elsa never imagined heaven could feel like this. Could feel like Anna, naked, pressed so closely against her, their wings brushing against each other’s in such an erotic way. She never imagined love could feel like cherry sweet lips pressed against her own, the pleasure of Anna’s soft, curious fingers bringing her to a new high she didn’t know existed._

_When Anna’s knowing fingers plunge inside Elsa, the angel throws her head back and cries out as a ripple of pleasure she’s never known tears through her body, leaving her breathless and out of her mind._

_Anna rolls on top of Elsa and continues until the blonde is arching off the bed and begging her redhead to stop. Only after Anna coaxes several more aftershocks from Elsa did she at last give the angel some reprieve from her ecstasy. When Elsa manages to open her eyes, the redhead is wearing an extremely proud smirk._

_Elsa quirks an eyebrow. “Oh really?” she demands._

_Anna’s smirk only widens. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced, and I was the one making you do that. So I thought I would take a moment to feel proud of myself.”_

_Elsa rolls her eyes. “Well in that case,” she says, flipping the other angel beneath her, “it’s my turn to smirk.”_

~.~.~.~.~

The sound of Anna sobbing draws Elsa from her restless slumber once more. She feels a pair of soft lips touch her forehead.

 “…I’m sorry Elsa.”

_Sorry? What could she possibly be sorry for?_ Elsa thinks, wishing she had the energy to talk to her redheaded angel.

“I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to hurt you.”

Elsa hears a sniff, followed by a shuttering breath.

“But you’re gonna be okay, Els. I know you will.”

A hand lays atop the blonde’s and gives it a gentle squeeze.  

 “You have to be.”

~.~.~.~.~

_“Elsa.”_

_“Elsa, come on, talk to me.”_

_“Elsa, please.”_

_Elsa ignores the redhead sitting next to her as she looks down at the Earth. She can’t believe how_ stupid _she’s been. He’ll never forgive her for this. And she’s not so sure that she wants him to._

_“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get in trouble like that,” Anna pleads, and Elsa can hear the desperation in her voice._

_“Don’t apologize,” she responds, monotone. “It wasn’t your fault.”_

_“Yes it was! If I hadn’t forced you to leave your post, you never would’ve gotten in trouble!” Anna insists, and Elsa feels her eyes widen slightly._

Is _that_ what she thinks this is about?

_“Anna…do you really think that all this happened…because I played hooky with you_ one _time?” Elsa asks slowly. Anna looks at her, teal eyes filled with confusion._

_“Well…yeah,” Anna responds. “I mean…why else would he go off on you like that? You’ve never done anything wrong. Not even a little.”_

_Elsa looks at the redhead in shock. “Anna, He didn’t punish me because I neglected my duties,” Elsa says earnestly. “He…He punished me because…because I love you.”_

_“But, he already knew that, Els,” Anna responds, “Why would he be angry about that? I thought he was happy for us?” she says, but Elsa shakes her head. She just wasn’t getting it._

_“No, Anna…you don’t understand,” The blonde replies, looking down at her hands. “I…I” Elsa sighs, knowing there was no other way to say it. “I-I love you_ more _.”_

_“More?” Anna asks, though from the look in her eyes, she knows exactly what Elsa means._

_“M-more than…than Him.”_

_“…Oh…”_

_“Yeah,” Elsa wants to laugh at the situation. The Creator made everything—her, Anna, the universe. If he hadn’t wanted this to happen, then why had she ever been created? “I’ve been…slowly losing my ability to control my powers. I froze a whole kingdom the other day, and it was a complete accident. He hadn’t ordered it.”_

_Anna’s eyes are wide. “So…”_

_“So He says I have a few choices.” She flaps her wings to stand and heads straight for Olaf. “Believe me when I say they all suck.”_

_“Elsa, what are you going to do?” Anna asks._

_When Elsa looks back, Anna looks as if she’s shell shocked. Her gaze is unfocused and her face expressionless. Elsa had been careful not to say too much, but Anna deserved something of an explanation for why she was doing what she was about to.  “What has to be done,” Elsa says softly. She returns to Anna, lifting her to her feet. “It’ll be okay, baby.”_

_Anna seems to snap out of it. Her eyes flash to Elsa’s and they dart as they try to read Elsa’s intent. “But…tell me what you’re going to do, Elsa.”_

_“I love you,” Elsa decides to say instead of telling her. “I love you so much.”_

_Anna gives Elsa a small smile at last. “Apparently,” she chuckles. “Maybe a little too much.”_

_Elsa laughs under breath, brushing a strand of hair behind Anna’s ear as she gazes into teal eyes perhaps for the last time. “Maybe, but I don’t care,” she declares, and leans in for a savoring kiss. It has to be a good one. She might never taste these lips again. The thought sends the worst ache to her heart she’s felt yet. Her breath catches and she clutches at her chest above her racing heart._

_“Els?” Anna’s eyes are worried now._

_“It’ll be okay,” Elsa says again, conjuring up a soft smile. “You’ll see.”_

~.~.~.~.~

Elsa wakes, but can’t convince her eyes to open just yet. They anticipate the light waiting to accost her. She picks an arm up to block out the warming, but blinding rays. Heavy lids are lifted and Elsa is rewarded with the most beautiful sight in all Creation. “Hey,” she softly croaks, her voice unclear and scratchy from disuse. She smiles, happy that her fever and dreams have stopped.

A relieved smile breaks out across Anna’s face. “Hey yourself, gorgeous,” she says, lifting Elsa’s head gently and lowering her lips to the blonde’s forehead for a tender kiss.

Elsa tries to lift herself up, but it feels as if her own body is too heavy. “Oof,” she says, giving up, and landing back down on what seems to be a lounging lawn chair, then “Ow!”

“Easy, easy, Els,” Anna coos. “You’ve had a heck of a three days.”

Elsa lifts a hand to cover her eyes, her head still pounding somewhat. She peers through her fingers at Anna. “Yeah, what a crazy fever. I had some pretty vivid dreams. Never knew I could hallucinate like that.”

“Dreams?” Anna asks, frowning. “No, Els—”

“Yeah…complicated too. It felt like I was in a movie or something,” she chuckles. “What’s crazy is I actually dreamed that I—well _we_ —had these _gorgeous_ wings, and—”

“Elsa,” Anna cuts her off, grabbing her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. “They weren’t dreams.”

Elsa frowns at the girl, not quite understanding what Anna’s getting at. “What do you mean they weren’t dreams, Anna? Of course they were. Even I’m not _that_ cra—”

“Ugh!” Anna suddenly exclaims, making Elsa flinch in surprise. “Stop it, Elsa!”

“S-stop…stop what?” Elsa asks, confused—and a little frightened—by Anna’s sudden intensity.

“Stop thinking you’re crazy!” the ginger seethes. “You. Are. Not. Crazy! You need to stop thinking that. Right now!”

When Elsa only looks at her in concern, Anna huffs in frustration.

“Look,” she says, standing and pacing around the balcony _—why the hell are we out here?—_ all while wringing her hands nervously. “I-I know what those ‘doctor’s’” she air quotes sarcastically “told you, and…and I know this might be hard to believe, but trust me when I say you’re not crazy, Elsa. You’re the farthest thing from it.”

She stops and looks at the blonde, who is only more confused than she was before, and takes a deep breath as if she’s preparing for something big.

“Elsa…” she starts, before clearing her throat and looking at Elsa with determined eyes. “Elsa, Olaf’s real.”


	15. Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey...so I super suck with my updates right now :/ I'm sorry. I've been super busy with school, you know finals coming up and shit...but just a few more weeks and I should be free! Then I promise I'll try to be better! Anyways, as always, I'd like to thank my awesome beta/co-writer LitNiche. She's the bomb dot com! But, enough from me...I'll let y'all read now. Hope you enjoy!

Fall from Grace

Chapter 15

Elsa doesn’t react at first. Only because she doesn’t know how to react. After all, what does one say, or do, when the person they love turns out to be just as insane—if not more so—than you? _Olaf is real?..._

“Els?” Anna says with uncertainty after a few moments of silence. “A-are you okay?”

Elsa doesn’t respond, choosing instead to stare at her hands in her lap.

“Elsa, say something,” Anna pleads, sounding more and more desperate. “Look, I-I know this is a lot to take in, and it’s pretty hard to believe, but—”

“That’s not funny, Anna,” Elsa forces out, cutting the redhead off, even though her voice is just above a whisper. She didn’t look up from her hands. Now that she’d gotten over the initial shock of what Anna was saying, all she could feel was hurt. And anger.

“Wha—funny? That’s not—” Anna stammers, her eyes going wide as she tries to explain, but it’s too late. Elsa doesn’t want to hear it.

“Don’t,” the blonde snaps, finally meeting Anna’s eyes with a glare, causing the girl to flinch. “How dare you,” she hissed. “How _dare_ you stand there and mock me.”

“Elsa, I’m not—”

“I didn’t tell you about my past just so you could make fun of me, Anna!” Elsa exclaims, finally standing, her fists clenched at her side. “I told you because I thought I could trust you.”

“Elsa you _can_ trust me—” Anna tries, but Elsa won’t let her speak. By now, tears have started pricking at her eyes, and running down her face.

“I shared the worst part of myself with you because I love you! And...and I thought you loved me too!”

“I _do_ love you, Els!” Anna pleads still, stepping closer in an attempt to take the blonde’s hand, but Elsa pulls away before she can reach her. The redhead’s face displays hurt at the movement, but she presses on. “Elsa, I love you more than words can describe.”

“No, Anna, you don’t,” Elsa growled, wiping at her face, though it did little to stop the flow of tears. “If you did, then you never would’ve said something like that.”

Elsa barrels for the stairs to leave, but Anna finally catches her arm. Pulling sharply, Elsa glares at the redhead through her tears. “Let me go.”

“Never,” Anna refuses stubbornly. Tears redden her beautiful eyes and Elsa can’t help wanting to kiss them away. But she won’t. It’s too painful. “Listen to me before you storm off, Elsa,” Anna reasons. “A-and…and if you still think I don’t love you when I’m done,” she hesitated, the pain she feels at the words visceral, “then you can leave and…” she looks into Elsa’s eyes “and I won’t come after you this time.”

Elsa nods nearly imperceptibly. “Fine.”

A flash of relief crosses the redhead’s face, before her expression turns serious again. “Look, Elsa,” she starts, “Trust me when I say that I know how this sounds, but I swear it’s true. Those dreams you had? They weren’t dreams. They were memories. Memories of our life together, before…before I lost you. I promise, you are _not_ crazy. You are perfectly sane. You’re just…not human. You’re an angel.”

Elsa stares at Anna in disbelief. “An angel,” she deadpans, crossing her arms. “You believe that I’m an angel.”

“No,” Anna shakes her head. “I don’t have to believe, because it’s the truth. You _are_ an angel, Elsa. Just like Olaf. Just like me.”

Elsa can’t believe her ears. Here she thought the redhead was just mocking her before, but now? Now she’s sure that Anna is just insane. And that fact alone is even harder for the blonde to accept than the thought that Anna didn’t love her.

More tears fall down Elsa’s face. “Anna…” she starts, taking a step back from the ginger.

“Elsa, please,” Anna says, her own tears now falling. “I know what this sounds like, but you have to believe me. Why would I make something like this up?”

“Because you’re just as crazy as I am,” Elsa mumbles to herself, and Anna’s face shatters.

“Elsa—” she starts, but the blonde cuts her off.

“No, Anna,” she says, a note of exhaustion in her voice. “I said I’d listen, and I have,” Elsa looks up to meet teal eyes. “And now I’m leaving.”

Anna looks like the blonde just tore out her heart. “Wait, Els,” she says reaching out to the girl, but Elsa pulls away.

“You promised, Anna,” she says, looking down at the floor. “You promised you wouldn’t follow me. I just…I need some time to…think about things.”

Before Anna can respond, Elsa turns and runs, ignoring the sound of her name being called behind her. She runs out of the hotel, and down the street, tears falling in rivets down her face. The blonde doesn’t know how long she runs, or how far. She just runs until she physically can’t anymore.

Elsa collapses on the pavement as she sobs into her hands. She doesn’t care that she’s in the middle of the street in strange city, or that people can see her. All she can think about is the fact that Anna, _her_ Anna, is crazier than even she is.

Elsa’s sobs redouble at the thought. She can’t move. She can’t even _breathe._ Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registers that she’s having a severe panic attack. Her chest feels like it’s about to explode, and her vision is starting to turn hazy.  Her heart feels as if it can’t stop accelerating. Elsa tries to remember what it was that Kristoff always told her when she had an attack, but all she can think about is how hard it is to breathe. The blonde starts to panic when she can’t seem to get air. She grabs at her head, and squeezes her eyes shut as she starts to rock back and forth, praying for it to stop.

Suddenly, Elsa feels a warm hand on her back. She jumps back and lets out a pained squeak. Standing in front of her is a young brunette woman who’s looking at her with large, chocolate eyes that are filled with concern.

“Are you okay?” the woman asks with a strong French accent, but it falls on deaf ears as Elsa continues to gasp for air. The brunette hesitates for a moment, before understanding floods her expression. She instantly kneels in front of Elsa, dropping the books in her arms, and puts her hands on the blonde’s shoulders. “Madame, look at me. You need to relax, oui? Yes? Deep breaths. Come on, chérie, do it with me. In and out. Deep breaths,” the woman starts to coach Elsa.

The blonde does as the woman says, focusing on matching her breaths with the brunette’s. After a few minutes, she can feel herself start to calm down. Her vision clears, and breathing becomes bearable again.

“There you go,” the woman coos, giving Elsa a warm smile, but the blonde doesn’t return it. Instead, she finally lets her emotions take over, and she collapses into the brunette’s arms, her sobs renewing.  The woman breaths in a sharp breath of surprise before hesitantly patting Elsa’s back in return.

“Shh, there, there,” the woman says awkwardly, but the blonde can’t bring herself to care as she continues to stain the woman’s blue and white dress with her tears. She clutches desperately at the woman as she lets it all out. Anna. Olaf. Everything.

Eventually, her crying stops, and she calms down to hiccupped sniffs, her body no longer capable of sustaining her sobs. When that happens, the brunette gently peels Elsa off of her, and puts one hand on the blonde’s shoulder as the other lifts her chin.

“Better?” the woman asks, a gentle smile on her face. Elsa gives a small nod, not meeting the woman’s eyes. She _did_ feel better, if only a little. But that didn’t stop her from becoming utterly embarrassed with herself when she realizes she’d just cried into a stranger’s shoulder. In the middle of the street. _Oh God, she must think I’m a fruit cake. And I thought I no one but Anna would know how crazy I am here._

The woman seems to notice her sudden discomfort, and squeezes Elsa’s shoulder, her smile widening. “Don’t be embarrassed, chérie,” she says, “Sometimes you just need a good cry, non?”

Elsa nods, still not meeting her gaze as she wipes at her face and sniffles. The woman chuckles, before standing and offering the blonde a hand, and helping her to stand.

“Belle,” the woman says, offering Elsa a hand once she’s on her feet, and blue eyes flick up to her face.

The blonde hesitates for a second, before taking Belle’s hand. “E-Elsa,” she replies softly.

“Well met, Elsa,” the woman smiles again. “Now, that we’ve been officially introduced,” Elsa’s cheeks flush again in embarrassment, “I think some hot chocolate is in order, oui?”

“Um, I don’t know,” Elsa says honestly. She can’t really think right now.

Belle takes her at the elbow and winks at her. “It’s not forbidden, is it?” Belle asks playfully.

Elsa merely smiles softly in response, following the young woman.

_The West Wing?_ she reads the sign to herself when they arrive at the cocoa and crepe stand.

A tall man with an unnaturally long nose lit up when he saw them arrive. “Ahh! Bonjour Chérie! Ça va,  ma Belle? » He noticed Elsa, and looked her up and down. “ Oooh, avez-vous une nouvelle petite amie maintenant? Elle est…belle,” he laughed at his own joke. If Elsa could have felt anything after pouring out all of her emotions, she might have laughed too at how ridiculously French the laugh was rather than the joke.   

“Oui, elle est super, mais je pense qu’elle voudrait un chocolat chaud, s’il vous plait.”

“Ahhh, bien sûr. Bien sûr, ma Belle! Je vous en prie.”

Elsa could thank her years of boredom in the mental institute for understanding the exchange. “Merci beaucoup,” she manages.

“Vous parlez francais?” Belle asks her.

“Oui, un peu, mais je préfère l’anglais s’il vous plait.”

“Bien sûr.  I mean, of course. I apologize.”

“You have nothing to apologize for; I do,” Elsa gives a half-hearted laugh. “I’m sorry you had to deal with,” she gestures at herself “this.”

“Ah…” Belle’s voice trails a little. “Not to be so stereotypically French by coming on to you immediately, but…” the girl blushes as she looks down at her feet. Her eyes flit to meet Elsa’s as she continues “I saw a beautiful woman in need of my comfort. It has been my pleasure to meet you, Elsa,” she says and hands Elsa her hot chocolate.

“Thank you,” Elsa half-smiles. She breathes the hot cocoa in at first. The aroma is calming at once and she feels her shoulders relax, her tension all but gone. Taking a delicate sip, she hums in approval. “Delicious,” she says as she opens her eyes.

Belle smiles warmly at her. “Yes” she agrees and drinks hers. “May I ask…” Belle hesitates.

“I’d, um, rather not—” Elsa begins, but she’s interrupted.

“Elsa!” The blonde whips her head around when she hears the one voice she _really_ can’t handle right now. Anna rushes into the shop and kneels at Elsa’s side, taking one of her hands.

“A-Anna?” Elsa stammers as she grips the table until her knuckles turn white. _How did she?..._

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Anna says worriedly, moving to tuck a strand of hair behind the blonde’s ear. “I know I said I’d give you some space, but you can’t just run off like that! You had me worried sick!” Elsa doesn’t respond. She isn’t ready for this. She hasn’t even had time to process what happened.

Belle clears her throat. “Chm, you…know this woman, chérie?” she asks, looking slightly annoyed at the interruption.  It’s then that the redhead notices that she and Elsa are not alone.  Anna and Belle look—more like glare—at each other for a moment, tension thickening the air, until the brunette glances at the blonde. “Elsa?”

Elsa hesitates for a second before answering. “Yes,” she says, pulling away from Anna slightly. “She’s my…my…” what _were_ they? Elsa pauses, not sure that they were even dating anymore. After all, could she really continue to see the redhead after this? Wouldn’t it hurt too much? Elsa shakes her head to clear her mind. She doesn’t want to think about that right now.

“Yes, I know her,” she finishes, looking down at her hands. She can practically feel the hurt radiating off of Anna.

“Oh,” Belle says in understanding. “I see. She is the one who hurt you, oui?”

“Hey—” Anna exclaims angrily, moving to stand, but Elsa stops her.

“Don’t, Anna,” the blonde warns. “She’s just trying to help.”

“By insinuating that I would even _think_ about hurting you?” the redhead says heatedly, glaring daggers at the brunette, who returns the gesture with gusto.

“Well she’s not wrong…” Elsa mutters and looks away, but not before seeing the pain in Anna’s eyes.

“Elsa, you know I never meant—” the redhead begins, but Belle interrupts her.

“Madame, if you please,” she says in a harsh tone. “Can you not see she does not wish to speak with you?”

“Excuse me, but who the hell are you?” Anna replies angrily, and Elsa looks up to see the two women practically snarling at each other. If they were cats, the blonde was sure their shackles would be raised and their fangs bared.

Belle stands. “The one Elsa wishes to be with right now,” she says firmly.

Elsa can’t help but be impressed with this near-stranger’s mettle. Still, she stands too, placing a tentative hand on the woman’s shoulder to signal that she needn’t literally stand up for Elsa. “Anna, I need some time to think. Belle was simply trying to help. If you really do love me, give me the space I need. I promise I will come back to the hotel. We…” she pauses to sigh, running a hand through her hair, “have a lot to talk about.”

Anna’s expression is stony as she no doubt puts on a brave air. “Okay. If you promise you’ll be back…tonight…I guess that’s fine. Just be sure your phone is with you,” she says and places Elsa’s mobile in her hand. “I love you,” she adds quietly and walks away.

Belle lets out a scoff. “You obviously deserve better. She should respect your wish for space.”

“Actually,” Elsa smiles at the kind brunette. “I really do need time to think. Thank you so much for the hot cocoa, but I’m a bit better now so I think I’ll walk in the park for a while before I head back.”

“Ah,” Belle half-smiles with disappointment laced in the syllable. “Very well, Chérie. Bon chance, non? You can reach me at the Vancouver library if you ever wish to.”

“Thanks,” Elsa nods. “For everything.”

“Je vous en prie,” Belle reaches for Elsa for a bise—a light kiss on both cheeks—as a farewell. “Take care, chérie.”

Elsa nods once more before turning away. She pulls up her phone and sees a text from Kristoff.

_Hey, how’s the vacation, Kid?!_

_Just fine, Kris._ she responds.

A few seconds later her phone blips. _You sure?_

_Yeah. No probs, Kris. I’ll text if I need something._

_Sheesh, I get it, I get it. Don’t interrupt Elsa-Anna fun time. Right-e-o cap’n! Anna’s been calling me the past few days cause you’ve been slacking. :P She said you’ve hardly been able to keep your eyes open when you guys get to the hotel every night. Sounds like you’re really enjoying yourselves!_

Elsa groans. She should have figured that Anna wouldn’t have told Kristoff about her little “episode.” She supposes that it’s for the best, though. After all, why should she worry him when he’s so far away?

The blonde sighs, running a hand through her bangs. She needed to tell him about what had happened between her and the redhead. After all, if Anna and she came back broken up, he’d find out anyway. No sense delaying the inevitable, right?...Well maybe she could tell him at least part of the truth. She hadn’t felt like divulging any more of her crazy upon a stranger, but Kristoff knew everything except… _Anna and I had a fight._

A moment passes before Kristoff responds. _Shit._

“Yeah,” Elsa says aloud then types it.

_How bad was it? Do you want to come home?_

_I told her I need some time to think and then we’ll talk. But…maybe._

_Wow. It must have been bad. What happened, Kid?_

Elsa feels a lump form at the back of her throat as she bullies down her emotions. She doesn’t feel like losing it in public yet again. _She basically threw my crazy in my face._

_Ouch._

_Yeah._ “And that’s if it’s good news. If it’s bad, she’s a loon worse than me” Elsa mutters under her breath, but hesitates telling him more. If she does, he’ll definitely want her to come home and though she doubts anything Anna and she talks about will change the situation, she can’t let go just yet. Things are already bad enough. If Anna’s crazier than she is, maybe she should be there for her. Anna had been here for Elsa. And it’s not as if Elsa doesn’t know her fair share of crazy people. The institute was plumb full. It made sense that she’d fallen in love with someone off kilter.

_Let me know, Kid. You need anything, you call me. I’ll even head up there if you want, OK?_

_OK. Thanks Kris. :)_

Elsa finishes her cocoa and tosses it. She puts her hands in her pockets when the stiff breeze carrying the scent of the ocean chills her along her walk. She doesn’t think about how much she wishes Anna could be there with her. She doesn’t think about wrapping herself in the cute ginger’s arms, and burying her face in her neck for comfort and warmth. She doesn’t think about how very, _very_ muchin love with her she is, or how utterly hopeless their situation is either. She doesn’t think about any of it, because if she does, she might break. And if Anna needs her as she’s needed Anna, she can’t break. She can’t.

Instead, she thinks about what she’s going to say when she gets back to the hotel. Elsa stops, looking up at the heavens as a gentle breeze pulls at her bangs.

_What am I going to do?_

*****line break*****


	16. Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all so I got some time in between studying to write so, look! Another chapter! This one is a little sadder just to let y'all know. I hope you don't hate me, but it's needed, I swear! Anyways, as always I'd like to thank my super awesome beta/co-writer, LitNiche, cause she's super awesome! Well, that's all for me! Until next time!

Fall from Grace

Chapter 16

Elsa stares at the hotel door, unsure that she’s ready to go in just yet. The blonde sighs, checking her phone. It’s late. Really late. Or really early, depending on how she looks at it. Anna’s probably worried sick, but…Elsa’s shoulders slump. She really didn’t feel like facing Anna right now. All she really wants to do is crawl into bed and sleep. Actually, she just wants to forget the whole thing had happened but…she knows that isn’t possible. She’s done a lot of thinking the past few hours. A lot of hard thinking. She’s looked at all the options that she has, and she’s gone over them over and over again. In the end, it all comes back to one thing.

Elsa feels tears prick at her eyes for the umpteenth time that day. She and Anna had a long, hard talk ahead of them.

The blonde takes a deep breath, knowing that she’d have to open the door eventually, and slides the key into the handle, opening it slowly. She peers around the door and half prays that Anna has gone to bed. She’s already too emotionally drained to deal with the redhead. When Elsa walks through the door, however, the scene in front of her only serves to shatter her broken heart more.

Anna’s sitting on the recliner in the living section of the room, her cheek resting on her arms—which are folded across the armrest—snoring softly. Her braids are frayed, as if she’s been tearing at them, and her clothes are a wrinkled mess. Elsa takes a step closer, not wanting to wake the girl, and notices tear tracks on the ginger’s face.

_She must have been waiting up for me…_ Elsa thinks, feeling incredibly guilty. _Did she cry herself to sleep?_ She shakes off the thought, moving to kneel next to the redhead. The blonde doesn’t want to wake Anna, but it wouldn’t be fair for her to just leave the girl. Elsa reaches out, and puts a hand on the ginger’s shoulder, giving her a gentle shake.

“Anna,” she says softly, and the girl scrunches her nose, mumbling in her sleep. Elsa tucks her lips in—an attempt to stop the smile that was begging to come out. Even in the midst of their fight, the blonde couldn’t help but admire just how adorable the redhead is.

“Anna,” she tries again, running a hand through her girlfriend’s bangs. “Come on, sweetie. It’s time for bed.”

Anna shifts, her eyes fluttering open. “Elsa?” she slurs before bolting upright. “Elsa! You’re back!” The redhead jumps to her feet, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

Elsa stands as well, wrapping her arms around herself. They both shift awkwardly for a few moments, neither girl knowing what to say. Finally, Anna breaks the silence.

“Elsa, I’m sorry about earlier. I never should have—” she starts, but Elsa holds up a hand, stopping her.

“Anna…can we…not…do this right now?” she says, looking at the floor.

“Elsa…we need to talk about this,” Anna responds softly, taking a step closer. “We need to work this out.”

Elsa flinches unintentionally at that last utterance. “It’s late, and we’re both tired,” she answers. “We…we can talk in the morning.”

With that, she looks up at Anna, pleading with her eyes for the girl to just let it go. Anna hesitates for a moment, clearly not wanting to wait, but then concedes.

“Okay…” she says, then again with more conviction. “Okay. But…tomorrow? For sure?”

Elsa nods. “Tomorrow for sure.”

Anna gives the blonde a half-smile before walking over to her. She stops just in front of Elsa, and slowly wraps her arms around the older girl. Elsa freezes on contact, but then relaxes into the ginger’s hold, allowing her own arms to snake around the girl’s waist, and rests her cheek on top of the fiery red locks.

Anna sighs, burying her face in Elsa’s neck. “I was worried when you didn’t come back,” she says, her voice muffled slightly. “I’m so sorry.”

Elsa tightens her grip around the girl, taking in a sharp breath. She can’t deal with this right now. She can’t.

“Let’s just go to bed,” she says, disentangling herself from Anna’s arms. She takes one of her hands, and leads them both towards the bedroom. Suddenly, she feels a pull on her arm, stopping her.

Elsa looks back at Anna in confusion. The redhead in holding her elbow with one arm and biting her lip nervously. “U-um…it’s all right—I mean i-if you’re still mad at me…but I-I can, um… sleep on the floor. I-if you want.”

The blonde looks at her for a moment, before softening her gaze. “Anna,” she says, taking a step towards the girl and lifting her chin. “You’re not sleeping on the floor.”

Anna looks up at her with big teal eyes. “A-are you sure? You’re…you’re not still mad at me?”

Elsa sighs. “Anna…I’m furious with you. And hurt. And betrayed. And a lot of other things,” she says, causing the redhead to flinch. “But, that doesn’t mean I don’t need the person I care about most to hold me tonight.”

Anna gazes at the blonde for a moment before nodding in understanding. Elsa doesn’t want this because she’s forgiven her. She wants this because she doesn’t want to be alone. Somehow, she almost feels guilty for taking advantage of Anna this way. But…something tells her that Anna would want her to.

The redhead allows Elsa to lead her to the bedroom where they both change and crawl into bed. Anna immediately wraps her arms around Elsa, pulling her close and placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head. Elsa snuggles up close to Anna’s chest, entangling their legs.

“Goodnight,” she hears Anna mutter into her hair after a few moments of silence. “I love you. I love you so much, my Elsa.”

Elsa doesn’t respond, choosing instead to let the redhead think she is already asleep. Soon, she feels Anna’s grip slacken, and her breathing deepens. Once Elsa is sure Anna is fully asleep, she lifts her head to look at the girl, noting how peaceful she looks.

Elsa leans forward, and places a gentle kiss on Anna’s forehead, causing the girl to smile softly in her sleep, muttering Elsa’s name.

“I love you too,” the blonde whispers, before settling back into Anna’s embrace, and allowing herself to enjoy the feeling of Anna pressed so close to her. She is going to cherish this last moment with the woman she loves, even if it kills her.

Because, knowing what was in store for them in the morning, Elsa wasn’t sure when—or if—she would ever be able to hold Anna like this again.

_I’m sorry too, Anna,_ The blonde thinks as she curls closer to the redhead, a few tears falling from her eyes.

_I’m so sorry._

~.~.~.~.~

_Anna._

_Elsa can feel her. She’s near, but somehow far as well. A misty fog breaks enough for her to see two beautiful ebony wings piercing the white, freezing atmosphere. There’s no floor, but Anna is sitting, swinging her legs to and fro as if on a bench at a park. She’s looking down and Elsa follows her gaze._

_Earth._

_A dream._

_“So,” Anna says and smiles as she looks up at the blonde. “You’re done trying with me?”_

_“I…” Elsa furrows her brows. “I can’t…”_

_Anna half smiles knowingly. “Yeah, I’m not as clueless as I seem. I hurt you. Bad. And now,” she shakes her head before meeting the blonde’s gaze once more. “I get it. Really I do. And it’s okay…At least, I hope it is…but, do me one favor? Before this is all over?”_

_Elsa sighs, crossing her arms. “What is it?”_

_“Even if you’ve given up on me…on us…don’t give up on yourself. It’s all real, Elsa. All you have to do is find yourself again. I found you, but it wasn’t enough,” she sniffs. “I thought it would be,” she chuckles without mirth. “I really did. I thought I could find you, I could win you back, and that would be that. We’d be happy again. It’d be like before. But…maybe it can’t be. Maybe what I told Olaf was right. Maybe one lifetime is all anyone can really ask for.”_

_Elsa feels tears falling down her cheeks though she can’t remember when she’d begun crying. She wipes them away, but more fall. “I’m sorry, Anna. I just…I can’t. I’m not strong enough. I want to be but…I’m not.”_

_That’s when anger seeps through the dream, engulfing the dread and gloom that had permeated the thin air seconds ago._

_“Yes, you are,” Anna glares. Her wings beat and she’s standing in the air, approaching Elsa. A single feather brushes Elsa’s cheek. “Never doubt that.” Anna touches where Elsa’s heart should be, but Elsa suddenly realizes how very empty her chest feels. She looks down to her chest, placing a hand above it to feel her own heartbeat._

_There’s nothing._

_When she looks up, Anna is gone, and she’s emptier than even before._

~.~.~.~.~

Elsa wakes slowly, the morning light filtering through her eyelids. She groans and throws an arm over her face to block out the offending brightness before she slowly opens her eyes. The blonde looks around the room, and notes the other side of the bed is empty. _Where did she go?_

Elsa sighs, the previous day’s events coming to the forefront of her mind. She still can’t believe that Anna—beautiful, adorable, sweet Anna—had said those things. She didn’t know if the ginger had meant those words to mock her…or if she truly believed that the blonde was an angel. Either way…it hurt.

Because either way….the blonde lets out a whimper, dropping her head into her hands. How is she supposed to do this? How the hell is she supposed to…to…

_God I can even_ think _it,_ she groans dejectedly. _How am I supposed to tell her if I can’t even think it?_

Suddenly, the door to the hotel room opens, and Anna flies through the doorway in a flurry of fiery red hair. The ginger closes the door and turns around, starting when she sees the blonde staring at her.

“O-oh, you’re awake!” she stammers, flushing lightly, before holding up one of the two paper cups in her hand. “Chm…I brought coffee,” she says with mock cheerfulness. Elsa half-smiles at her, feeling her heart squeeze. Anna smiles back with much more enthusiasm before moving to join the blonde on the bed and handing her one of the cups.

Elsa takes a sip, humming in gratification at the taste of chocolate accompanying the caffeine. Anna knows her too well. She frowns at the thought. It only makes what she has to do that much harder. She sighs as she looks down at the bed, playing with a loose strand on the comforter.

“I-I got you chocolate. I, um, I know it’s your favorite,” Anna stammers, trying to break the tension in the room.

“Thanks,” Elsa mutters into her coffee, still not meeting Anna’s eyes. The two girls sit in an awkward silence for several minutes, both knowing they needed to talk, but neither knowing where to start.

Elsa can practically feel how hard the redhead is trying to let her lead. Knowing the ginger, she guesses Anna will break within five minutes.

She breaks in four.

“Look, Elsa…I-I know what I said upset you—”

“Anna…” Elsa interrupts with a sigh.

“Just…let me finish,” Anna huffs, and Elsa pauses, before nodding, still looking down at her hands. Whatever the redhead has to say, she doubts that it will change anything.

There’s a moment of hesitation before Anna starts again. “Chm…I know,” she sighs, “Elsa I know you’re angry with me. Really, _really_ angry. A-and you have every right to be. I never should’ve said those things, especially knowing what you went through. I mean…I thought that maybe…maybe you were ready but…you weren’t. And I should’ve known better. I should’ve waited, I should’ve…” Anna takes a sharp breath, “God, Elsa I’m so sorry. I’m sorry about Olaf. I’m sorry about the institute. I’m sorry about everything. But most of all…I’m sorry I hurt you. I’ve done a lot of things that I’m not proud of but this…Elsa, I’m just…I’m sorry. Do you think…is there any way you can ever forgive me?”

It’s silent again, as Elsa takes in Anna’s speech. She wishes she could tell her ‘yes’. She wishes more than anything she’s ever wished that she could just forget what happened, she could forgive Anna, and they could move on.

After a few minutes, she looks up from the bed only to find Anna staring at her, teal eyes pleading for forgiveness. Elsa takes in a sharp breath, tears pricking at her eyes. She knows she has to say something. And she knows that it’s going to break Anna’s heart.

“A-Anna,” she says softly, looking into her eyes.

The redhead moves closer, taking Elsa’s hand. “Elsa, I love you,” she says fiercely. “I know that might be hard for you to believe right now but. I. Do. And I know we can make it through this. We’ve made it through worse.”

At Anna’s words, Elsa finally breaks. She lets out a harsh sob. Her head falls into her hands as tears trail down her face. She feels a hand on her back, and it starts to rub soothing circles as she cries, but it only makes it worse.

She wishes they could put this off for a little while longer, but she knows that the longer she waits, the harder it will be. Not that it’s not hard now but…no. No she can’t wait. She has to do this now.

Taking a shuddering breath, Elsa wills herself to relax. She needs to be as calm as possible if she’s going to say what she has to say. After a few moments, she’s able to calm down enough to the point that she’s only sniffling.

Elsa pulls away from Anna, wiping at her eyes. She needs to say it. She needs to do it now before she loses the strength to.

The blonde looks up, her jaw set, the words on her lips. But from the look on the ginger’s face, she knows that she doesn’t have to say a word.

Anna takes in a sharp breath, her tears glistening in her eyes as they search Elsa’s. “You’re breaking up with me.”

It’s not a question. And the way she says it—with her voice so flat, as if she’s already given up—grinds what little there is of Elsa’s heart into dust.

“Yes,” the blonde manages to say brokenly after a moment. “Yes, I am.”

Anna closes her eyes, tears running down her face. They sit in silence. The only sound is a clock ticking of somewhere in the room. Then Anna stands.

“No,” she sniffs as she begins to pace. “No. This can’t be happening. I-I know I screwed up, but I’m not going to let it end like this. It _can’t_ end like this.”

“Anna—” Elsa says hopelessly, but the girl isn’t listening.

“No, damn it!” she stops, now angry. “You’re not doing this. _We’re_ not doing this!”

Elsa only looks down at her hands again, unable to form words. In front of her, she hears Anna let out a mirthless chuckle.

“So that’s it then?” she asks heatedly. “You’re just giving up us? Just like that?”

“I’m not giving up, Anna,” Elsa snaps defensively. “It’s not that simple.”

“No, that’s _exactly_ what you’re doing,” Anna retorts. “Things got a little scary—a little—and you’re just running away! After _everything_ , you’re just gonna turn your back.”

At this, Elsa stands, her own emotions bubbling. “Hey, I’m not the one who believes they’re a fucking angel, Anna! Do you know how _hard_ this is for me?! How hard it is for me to hear you say those things? To find out that the person I love most in this world is just as fucking insane as I am?! And believe me, I know crazy, Anna. I spent thirteen _years_ around crazy.”

 “I’m not crazy, Elsa!” Anna hisses back, clenching her fists. “And neither are you. And I know you might not be ready to hear it, but everything I told you is the truth. Olaf _is_ real. You _are_ an angel. And you. Are. Not. _Crazy!_ ”

“Stop it!” Elsa yells, bringing her hands to grasp at her hair in anguish as tears rain down her face. “Damn it, Anna, just stop it! You need help! Medical help; _professional_ help! And believe me, I’m the last person in the world to suggest that, but it’s true! A-and…and you need someone who can be strong for you. Someone who can be there for you at your worst, and I,” Elsa pauses to let out a pained sob. “I can’t. I can’t go through that again, even if I’m on the other side. I’m not strong enough, Anna. I wish I was but I’m not, and I fucking hate myself for it!”

At this, Anna’s gaze softens and she stares at the blonde. “Elsa...you can’t give up on us. We…we love each other,” she says pleadingly.

“Sometimes love isn’t enough,” Elsa responds quietly, not meeting the redhead’s gaze.

She hears a sharp intake, and several broken sobs, before Anna speaks again. “Fine,” she says, defeated. “If that’s what you want…fine,” Elsa looks up enough to see Anna make a beeline towards the bathroom. But just before the door shuts, the redhead looks at her one last time.

“Just promise me one thing, Elsa,” she says through her tears. “Promise that even though you’ve given up on me that…that you won’t give up on yourself.”

Elsa feels her breath hitch at the words, but before she can respond, the door closes, the lock clicking in place. The moment the blonde hears the lock, she collapses on the bed in tears, curling into a tight ball. How long she cries, she doesn’t know. All she knows in the pain in her chest.

Eventually, she’s able to pull herself together enough to pull out her phone and dial Kristoff. He answers on the first ring.

_“Elsa?”_

“K-Kr-Kristoff,” she sobs into the phone.

_“What’s wrong? What happened?”_ he asks immediately, worry lacing his voice.

“Kr-Kristoff…I-I, _sniff_ I n-need you t-to buy me a t-ticket home. N-now,” she says through her tears. Before he can ask what happened again, she follows with, “A-Anna and I…W-we broke up.”

It’s silent on the other line for a beat before Kristoff responds. _“I’ll have you on the soonest flight within an hour.”_

“Th-thank you,” Elsa says, her cries slowly dying out.

_“Anything, Els. You know that. I’d ask if you wanted to talk about it, but knowing you, you’d rather do it face to face, so I’ll wait. For now,”_ he responds. _“I’ll see you in a few hours. Call me if you need anything.”_

Elsa agrees, before hanging up, and curling up around a pillow. She needs to pack. But she can’t move. All she can seem to do lay there, wishing that this was all a dream. She lost Anna. She actually lost her. She lost the only thing she’s ever cared about. The blonde lets out another sob, burying her face into the sheets.

_I’m sorry, Anna,_ she thinks hopelessly. _I’m sorry._

_I love you._


	17. Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeyyyy guys...See I'm still alive! Promise! Anyways, here's a new chapter! This one does get a little dark at the end so be warned. As always, thanks to my super awesome beta/co-writer LitNiche! Hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> Trigger warnings: Some blood and graphic scenes at the end, nothing to crazy but still, and what could be seen as attempted suicide, so yeah. I mean, it's not really, but just to be sure. Hope y'all don't hate me :D

Fall from Grace

Chapter 17

The plane ride back is…awkward. Elsa knew Kristoff would buy Anna a ticket home as well—he’s too kind of a person to just leave her stranded like that, despite the very… _colorful_ things he had to say about the redhead when he’d called back—but she didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to buy them seats that were _right next to each other_!

 _How clueless_ is _he!_ the blonde groans to herself when Anna plops down next to her, very obviously avoiding eye contact. _I swear I’m going to kick his ass for this._

After all, hadn’t she been through enough _without_ having to sit next to the person whose heart she’d just ripped out for six hours?

Elsa looks away from the ginger, doing her best to not think about how close Anna is, or how beautiful she looks even though she’s been crying for the past few hours, or how much she just wants to pull the redhead into her arms, apologize, and forget this whole day.

It doesn’t help that every few minutes, Anna sneaks a peak at the blonde through her lashes, before quickly looking away. And it _really_ doesn’t help that, even when she’s not looking at the ginger, Elsa can feel the hurt radiating off of her.

Elsa sighs, letting her head hit the window, and closing her eyes as the plane takes off. _This is going to be a long six hours._

~.~.~.~.~

As soon as Elsa exits the plane, she makes a beeline for her luggage, praying that it comes out before Anna does. She’s had enough of the redhead’s pained sidelong glances, and broken sniff’s to last her a lifetime. She knew that Anna was hurting, but seriously, this was hard enough without the ginger looking at her like a wounded puppy.

Much to Elsa’s relief, however, her bag is the first one off of the plane, and she grabs it quickly before scanning the airport for her blonde friend. Unfortunately, he’s nowhere to be seen.

 _What the hell, Kristoff?_ she huffs to herself. It’s not like he didn’t know when the plane was supposed to land.  Elsa sighs in frustration, and dejectedly makes her way to one of the waiting benches before pulling out her phone to send him a quick text.

While the blonde plays with her phone, she feels a presence as someone sits next to her, causing her to look up and low and behold, it’s the very redhead she’s trying to avoid.

“I, chm, I didn’t want you waiting alone,” Anna says quietly as way of explanation, her voice hoarse from hours of crying. Elsa opens her mouth to respond, but decides against it, choosing instead to just sit in silence next to the ginger as she waits. That is, until Anna apparently decides she can’t take it anymore.

The redhead stands up suddenly, startling the blonde, and turns on her.

“Damn it, Elsa, I can’t do this!” she exclaims, more tears in her eyes, her fists trembling at her sides. “I can’t lose you again!”

“Anna…” Elsa warns, her voice wary, but the ginger continues.

“No, don’t ‘Anna,’ me, Elsa!” she huffs, clearly beginning to get angry with the blonde. “It can’t end like this! I’ve worked too damn hard to find you, and I’m not letting you slip away because of some stupid argument!”

By now, Anna was practically yelling, and several people were beginning to stare. “Anna, not here,” Elsa stands, trying to calm the girl, but she would have none of it.

“No. No I’m done playing it safe. I’m done being the good guy,” Anna growls, taking Elsa by the shoulders. “You have to remember, Elsa.”

The blonde pulls back from the ginger’s grip, before glaring at her. Elsa was done too.

“Enough, Anna!” she hisses angrily, her own temper rising. “Enough of this silly fantasy! It’s not real and believing it is, is only hurting us  both!”

“It _is_ real, Elsa!” Anna insists, taking a step towards the blonde, but a sudden hand on her shoulder stops her in her tracks. Both girls look over the redhead’s shoulder in confusion, only to see two security guards frowning at them.

“Is this woman bothering you, miss?” one of them ask Elsa.

“N—” the blonde starts, but falls silent for a moment. Anna turns towards her, her eyes now pleading, but Elsa honestly quite upset with the ginger, both for what she’d said at the hotel, and for causing a scene in front of the whole airport. “Actually, yes. Yes she is.”

The look of utter betrayal on Anna’s face hurt her more than Elsa would have liked to admit, but she silently stands there while the security guard nods once, before pulling the redhead away from her.

“Come with me, ma’am,” he insists firmly, but Anna viciously yanks her arm away from him.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” she snarls, before hastily grabbing her luggage. “I was leaving anyways.”

With that, the redhead stomps away without another glance back at Elsa. The blonde watches Anna leave, both relief and despair flooding her veins. She wants to go after her, but at the same time, she knows that she can’t.

Elsa sniffs, wiping the tears that have collected in her eyes, when she feels a warm hand on her shoulder. She turns around questioningly, until she saw a familiar mop of blonde hair.

“Hey, Els,” Kristoff smiles softly at her. The moment Elsa sees her friend, she doesn’t hesitate to throw herself into his arms, allowing herself to weep into his shoulder. The dirty blonde doesn’t say anything more. He just holds her, knowing that there were no words that needed to be said.

After a few moments, Elsa speaks. “You were late,” she sniffs, snuggling further into his warm embrace.

“I know,” he responds, offering no excuses. “I’m sorry. Let’s just get you home, okay?”

Elsa nods, allowing the dirty blonde to take her bag, and throw it over his shoulder, before leading her out the door.

The car ride home is silent. Somehow Kristoff seems to know that Elsa just wants to sit quietly, though she can tell he wants to ask her about what happened. The blonde can practically feel his questioning glances the whole drive. Thankfully, he says nothing, more than likely waiting for her to make the first move.

The two make it to the apartment, and when they walk through the door, Elsa is hit with the familiarity of it all. Everything was exactly as she had remember leaving it, at least for the most part.

 _Funny how everything is different, and yet nothing has changed,_ she thinks to herself as Kristoff brings her bags in.

“There we are,” he says, dropping her stuff next to the door. “Home sweet home.” Elsa gives the dirty blonde a half smile, but otherwise doesn’t respond. “Chm,” Kristoff clears his throat awkwardly, “Um, are you hungry? I can whip you something up?”

“I’m fine, Kris,” Elsa says hollowly. “I’m just gonna go to my room for a while, okay?”

“Okay, Els,” Kristoff gives her a gentle smile as the blonde quickly walks to her bedroom and closes the door.

Once she’s inside, Elsa locks the door, and allows herself to slide down the frame. The blonde brings her knees to her chest, and wraps her arms around them, before resting her head on her knees. Slowly she allows a few tears to fall before the dam breaks, and she’s crying into her arms. Elsa’s shoulders shake from the force of her sobs as all the hurt and grief flows out of her.

“Anna,” she weeps, hugging her knees closer.

“Anna. I’m sorry. I love you.”

~.~.~.~.~

Elsa sighs, using her fork to push around her food as she rests her cheek in her hand. She knows she should eat, but she can’t seem to feel hungry.

“Els, come on. Just one bite?” Kristoff pushes, sitting next to her. “For me?”

“I’m just not hungry, Kris,” Elsa responds, pushing her plate away from and standing. “Thanks though. I’m sure it tastes great.” With that the blonde starts making her way to her bedroom, but a sudden hand on her arm stops her.

Elsa looks back at Kristoff questioningly, but the dirty blonde only stands and pulls her towards the couch, forcing her to sit, before settling across from her.

“Okay,” Kristoff says. He leans forward with his elbows on his knees. “Enough is enough. We need to talk.”

“Kristoff—” Elsa sighs, but the blonde only holds up a hand, cutting her off.

“Elsa, it’s been three days. I know you’re hurting, and if you were anyone else, I wouldn’t have to do this. But you need to talk to me about what happened between you and Anna,” Kristoff pushes, causing Elsa to flinch at the sound of _her_ name. “If not as your therapist, then as your friend.”

“We had a fight. We broke up. What else is there to talk about?” Elsa responds, her voice flat as she refuses to look at her friend.

“Elsa don’t do that,” Kristoff sighs in frustration. “Talk to me. I can’t help you if you shut me out.”

“Well maybe I don’t want your help,” Elsa snaps, glaring at the blonde.

“Elsa, come on,” Kristoff tries again, lowering his voice. When the blonde only looks away, he leans forward and puts a hand on her knee. “Elsa—”

“I’m going to my room,” Elsa stands suddenly, not allowing Kristoff to finish. Before he can protest, she quickly makes her way to her room, and locks the door behind her. She takes a couple deeps breaths, resting her forehead on the door.

Elsa feels bad for avoiding her friend, and she knows he’s only trying to help, but she just can’t right now. Why can’t he understand that?

A knock on the door startles her. “Yes?” she asked. She owes him a response at least.

“Come on out. I won’t pressure you to talk about it again today, all right? But you need to breathe some air outside your bedroom.”

“Kris…” Elsa hesitates. She holds her arms around her waist, feeling as small and helpless as she had in the institution.

“I come bearing gifts,” Kristoff’s voice has some mirth in it.

Elsa quirks a brow. “Gifts?”

“Halo 4 and chocolate.”

Elsa opens the door immediately. Tears are forming in her eyes. The man really was too good to her. “You’re a genius,” she sniffs. “You know that?”

“I try,” Kristoff grins at her. “Now come on. First one to run the other over gets to order the toppings he or she—he!—wants on a pizza.”

Elsa gives him her best smile. It isn’t much, but she can see some of the worry leave his features. “It’s gonna be all right, Kid. You’ll see,” he says and engulfs her in his arms. He kisses the top of her head, then ruffles her hair. “Now seriously. Get ready to be in awe and to marvel at my many many skills.”

“Um, you died eight times last time we played,” Elsa reminds him.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kristoff chuckles, as he waves her into the living room.

~.~.~.~.~

The next few days consist of a Kristoff dosing out plenty more video games and chocolate, mixed in with a little probing about what exactly had happened. And though Elsa keeps the details mostly to herself, he does get enough out of her to know that Anna had pushed the ‘crazy’ button. More than anything, that had pissed him off to no end.

“How _dare_ she hurt you like that?!” he exclaims when Elsa tells him.

“Kristoff, it’s over. It’s done. Can we just forget it?” Elsa sighs, sipping on her hot chocolate as she kills several enemies with ease. Halo really was one of her favorite games.

The dirty blonde grumbles for a few more minutes, but does as Elsa’s asks. After a few minutes, Kristoff stands, grabbing his keys. “I gotta run to the store real fast. Wanna come? Maybe get some fresh air?”

Elsa hesitates for a moment, setting her controller down. Maybe she did need to get out of the apartment, but… “I don’t think…today, Kris,” she says slowly. “Honestly, I think I’d rather take a nap or something.”

“You sure?” Kristoff pushes, and the blonde gives him a nod. “All right, Els. If you need anything, I’ll have my cell on me. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Okay, see ya later,” Elsa waves as he walks out the door, leaving her by herself for the first time since she got back. She plays her game for a while longer, before finally getting bored. The blonde sighs, standing and stretching until she feels something pop, before letting out a loud yawn, and rubbing a sore spot on her back, between her shoulder blades. She frowns slightly as she does so. Her back had been hurting quite a bit since Vancouver, and she worries that she may have hurt it somehow. “Maybe I should take a nap,” she says to herself, heading to her room. “Just for a little while.”

“Or you could talk to me!” a voice says suddenly right next to her ear. Elsa squeaks, jumping back, only to come face to face with a familiar mop of white hair. “Hey Els! Glad to see you’re feeling better!”

“ _Olaf?_ ” Elsa stage whispers, surprised to see the boy. After all, she hadn’t seen nor heard from him since her first night in Vancouver. Which, to be honest, had really made her angry. Kristoff was right when he said she needed to talk, but the only person she really wanted to talk to was Olaf. But no matter how many times she had called for him, he was nowhere to be seen. Until now, that is. “Where the _hell_ have you been?!”

“Sorry Els,” Olaf rubs the back of his neck nervously. “I had some…things to take care of.”

“You said you’d always be there, and you weren’t,” Elsa huffs, crossing her arms. “I needed you, Olaf.”

“I know, but like I said, I had a few things that needed my attention,” Olaf responds. “But I’m here now. Why don’t you tell me what’s up?”

“As if you didn’t already know,” Elsa snaps, walking past the boy into her bathroom, and locking the door. She leans over the counter and splashes some cold water on her face as Olaf walks through the wall and stands next to her. She knows he knew about her and Anna. After all, he was technically a part of her. But maybe…maybe telling him would help, even just a little.

Elsa hesitates for a moment, looking down at her hands, before speaking again. “Anna and I had a fight,” she admits. “I broke up with her.”

“Wait, what?” Olaf reels back. “A fight? Wait… _You_ broke up with _her?!_ ”

Elsa nods, choosing not to speak.

“What the hell did she say?” Olaf presses, walking up to Elsa.

“Come on, Olaf, you already know!” Elsa snaps, “I mean, you’re part of my fucking mind, so don’t tell me you don’t know!”

Olaf pauses for a moment, obviously taken aback by her outburst, before giving her a warm smile. “Sure I know…but maybe saying it out loud might help?”

Elsa sighs, turning away from him. She knew he was probably right, but it was still hard to say. The blonde clears her throat after a moment, bringing her arms up to wrap around her waist. “She said you were real, Olaf.”

“She did _what?!_ ” she hears the boy hiss from behind her.

“Yeah,” Elsa rolls her eyes angrily, tears starting to form. “I know. Dick move right? And then,” Elsa lets out a mirthless chuckle as she turns to face Olaf, “and then she told me I was a fucking _angel_! Can you _believe_ that?!” By now, hot tears were starting to fall down Elsa’s face, and she hastily wiped them off. “I mean, who _does_ that?”

Elsa looks up at Olaf, but reels back in fear when she sees his face. In all her time knowing him, even in Vancouver, she had never seen him looks so _angry_ before. And if Elsa was being honest, it was terrifying.

“O-Olaf?” she says quietly, but the boy doesn’t hear her.

“I can’t believe her,” he mumbles to himself, as a red aura starts to form around him. “I spent all this time cleaning up _her_ mess, and she goes and pulls _this_?” Olaf shakes his head angrily. “She has no idea what she’s done.”

“Olaf, you’re scaring me,” Elsa whimpers, taking a step back, only to trip into the tub. At the sound of her falling, Olaf finally looks at her, and all his anger disappears in the blink of an eye.

“Elsa…I’m so sorry,” he says, kneeling in front of her. “I…I should’ve stopped things before they got this far. And now,” Olaf looks down, a single tear rolling down his face. “Now you have to pay the price.”

“P-Price? What…what’re you talking about?” Elsa asks fearfully, scooting as far away from the apparition as possible.

Olaf looks at Elsa with big, sad eyes. “He won’t let her get away with this. Someone has to be punished, and…and that someone is you,” he says solemnly before grabbing her wrists tightly.

“Ow! Olaf stop!” Elsa pleads. “You’re hurting me!”

“I’m sorry, Els,” was Olaf’s only response, and then Elsa feels a sharp pain shoot up her arm.

The blonde cries out, yanking her arms from the boys grasp but it’s too late. Elsa looks down in horror at the two long gashes that went length wise down her wrists. Blood began to pour down her arms, and she starts to panic.

“Elsa?” she hears Kristoff call through the door, concern in his voice. She didn’t realize he was back. “Is everything all right? I thought I heard you scream.”

Elsa looks up, noticing Olaf is nowhere to be seen, but doesn’t answer her friend. Instead she closes her eyes, praying that it’s all in her imagination, but when she opens them again, the cuts are still there. The blonde brings her hands up to head, and begins rocking back and forth, ignoring the pain in her arms.

“It’s not real. It’s _not_ real,” she repeats to herself over and over again.

“Elsa, come on. You’re starting to worry me,” Kristoff says, sounding more flustered. She hears him bang on the door several times, but she only continues to rock herself, tears flowing freely down her face. “Elsa!” Kristoff says firmly, jiggling the handle. “Damn it, Elsa open this door. _Now!_ ”

Elsa closes her eyes, gripping at her hair. “It’s not real,” she whimpers pitifully.

Suddenly, the door bangs open, the lock breaking, causing Elsa to look up, her arms dropping.

One look at her, and Kristoff’s face falls. “Elsa, what have you done?” he whispers, before running over to her. Elsa looks at him in confusion as he grabs her wrists, wincing in pain as he squeezes the wounds to stop the bleeding.

 _But…it’s not real…_ she think helplessly as she watches him press a towel to her arm. _How can he see it if it’s not real?..._

Suddenly, Elsa starts to feel light headed, her chin falling to her chest.

“Elsa? Shit, Elsa!” Kristoff shakes her roughly by the shoulder. “Damn it, Elsa! Don’t you dare fall asleep on me!”

Elsa’s head lulls, and she tries her hardest to keep her eyes open, but it’s really, _really_ hard. She feels her chin dip to her chest again and Kristoff curses, sounding far way.

“Elsa I swear to God, if you don’t stay awake,” he says, his voice cracking. “Just, stay with me Els. Stay with me…”

Elsa whimpers once more, but she can’t fight it anymore. She’s not strong enough.

“I’m sorry, Kris…” she mumbles, before succumbing to darkness.

_I’m sorry._

_~.~.~.~.~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, don't hate me...this ain't the end yet! And yeah, I know I am a terrible person but hey, what can you do? Anyways, until next time!


	18. Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys so I hope y'all don't hate me too much for the last chapter. I know I'm a terrible person. But here's a fast chapter to make up for it! :D 
> 
> Trigger Warnings: Not much, just a few mentions of suicide, and one small mention of blood. It's nothing terrible, but just though I'd be sure. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> P.S. As always thanks to Litniche for being an awesome beta/co-writer. She's the bomb dot come for reelz!

Fall from Grace

Chapter 18

The first thing Elsa sees when she wakes, is Kristoff’s worried face. And he looks terrible. His eyes are red and puffy, almost as if he’s been crying, and there’s a slight stubble on his normally clean shaven face. He looks as if he’s been up all night.

“Kristoff?” Elsa croaks. Her throat feels like sandpaper, and her head is pounding. She swallows dryly

“Elsa, you’re awake!” The dirty blonde lets out a relieved sigh, looking almost to be on the verge of tears. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve slept for a week,” Elsa grimaces and looks around. They are in a white room with a single, small window. There is no other furniture, besides her bed pushed up to the wall. “Where…where are we?” she asks slowly, willing herself not to panic. She looks over to her friend, only to see him looking anywhere but her. “Kristoff?”

“Elsa…I think you know where we are,” he says after a moment of silence, and Elsa feels her breathing pick up. She moves to sit up, but a force on her wrist prevents her from moving. Falling into full panic mode, the blonde tugs at her bindings, before wincing at the line of fire she feels going up her arm.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Kristoff quickly runs over to grab her arms. “Don’t pull at them, you’ll rip your stitches out,” he say, and Elsa looks up at him with tears in her eyes.  

“Stitches? Wha—Kristoff, what happened?! Why am I in here?! Why…” she continues to struggle, her panic getting the best of her.

“Elsa. Elsa!” Kristoff grabs her firmly but gently by the shoulders and looks her in the eyes. “If you don’t calm down, I’m going to have to sedate you, and I don’t want to do that, okay?”

Elsa closes her eyes, and focuses on her breathing for a moment before slowly nodding that she understands.

“Good,” Kristoff says, releasing her slowly.

“Kristoff what the hell happened?” Elsa asks, keeping her voice level as she opens her eyes.

“You don’t remember?” Kristoff asks her, looking down at her with concern. Elsa shakes her head while biting her lip with worry. Kristoff looks away for a moment and sighs before pulling a chair up and taking one of the blonde’s hands. “Elsa…yesterday, when I came home…I found you in the bathtub, and,” his voice wavers slightly, and he clears his throat. “…I found you and your wrists were slit.”

“W-what?” Elsa whispers in horror. She can’t believe it. She’d thought that was only a bad dream. It can’t be real. It just… _can’t_.

His eyes harden. “Elsa…you tried to kill yourself.”

“Wha—n-no that…I-I didn’t...” she stammers, her eyes going wide, but Kristoff only shakes his head.

“Yes you did, Elsa,” he pushes, before taking a breath. “Right now, we’re at the hospital, and you’re under a 72-hour psych hold.”

“ _What?!_ ” Elsa exclaims. She struggles again until her friend puts a firm hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place.

“Elsa…why would you…I just, I know you were hurting, but I never thought…” Kristoff lets his voice trail off. The dirty blonde looks as if he’s trying to hold back an incredible amount of hurt and anger.

“Kristoff,” Elsa shuffles to try to move closer to him. “Kris, I swear I didn’t…I-I would never…”

“Then what do you call this, Elsa?” he says in a flat voice as he points down at one of Elsa’s wrists where there is a large, white bandage covering half of her forearm.

“Kristoff, it wasn’t me,” Elsa pleads. “You have to believe me.”

“If you didn’t do this, then who did?” Kristoff’s voice is unbelieving and stern. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks bad, Elsa.”

Elsa hesitates for a moment before taking a leap of faith. “It was Olaf.”

Kristoff doesn’t respond. He just stares at her, looking as if he had been afraid she’d say something like that. Then, the dirty blonde stands and walks over to the window, his hands on his hips, and his head bowed. Elsa says nothing as she watches him. She feels her veins run cold when Kristoff’s shoulders shake from silent sobs and he brings a hand to his face.

In all the years she’s known him, she’s never once seen him cry.

After a moment, Kristoff seems to collect himself enough to turn and face her, his eyes red and teary. He makes his way back over to Elsa, sniffing to himself. “Elsa,” he starts, but he has to clear his throat, and then he tries again. “Elsa, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Elsa repeats, confused.

“Yeah,” Kristoff says as takes her hand again. “I’m sorry that I let you down. I thought I could help you. That I _was_ helping you, but…If I had been there for you more…” the blonde stops and a few tears escape.

“Kristoff…this wasn’t your fault,” Elsa says, frowning.

“No, it was. Maybe not directly but…I failed you. As your therapist and as your friend,” he responds. “I never should have left you alone.”

“Kris…”

“And now,” he shakes his head. His voice trembles. “Now you think that some hallucination tried to kill you, because you obviously can’t handle the fact that you tried to take your own life.”

“What?” Elsa reels back. “Kristoff…I told you it wasn’t me. It was—”

“Olaf, yeah I heard you, Elsa,” Kristoff suddenly snaps. “But you and I know that’s not possible, so just stop.”

“Kristoff,” Elsa chides him, unused to the blonde being angry with her like this.

“No, Elsa,” he pulls back, now glaring at her. “You need to understand that _you_ did this.”

“It wasn’t me,” Elsa says slowly, now angry herself.

Kristoff stands and shakes his head in disgust. “I can’t do this right now,” he says, grinding his teeth. “I can’t hear this.” He turns back to Elsa. “Look, I’m glad you’re okay Els, really I am. But right now, I’m just so…angry with you, that I can hardly see straight. So I’m gonna go clear my head, and I’ll be back tomorrow. We can talk about what happened then.”

“Wait, you’re just gonna _leave_ me hear?” Elsa practically shrieks, pulling at her bindings despite the pain in her wrists.

“I have to, Els. I don’t have a choice,” Kristoff says. “And you need to calm down, before you hurt yourself.”

“Calm down? How the _hell_ am I supposed to calm down! You’re leaving me here!” Elsa replies, now yelling as she starts to hyperventilate. “Get me _out of here!_ ”

“Shit,” Kristoff curses, banging on the door. “Get me some help in here!” he yells before running over to Elsa and attempting to restrain her.

By now, Elsa is fighting hard, and fighting panic as well as Kristoff tries coax her to relax. Several nurses rush into the room, and immediately help the dirty blonde to pin Elsa down. It only makes her panic more.

“Get off me!” she screams, fighting against the several pairs of hands that are holding her down. “Let me go!”

Then, the blonde feels a sharp pinch in her neck, and everything goes black.

~.~.~.~.~

Kristoff walks through his and Elsa’s apartment door, feeling more drained than he has ever felt before. Which is understandable. The last 24 hours have been the worst of his young life. After all, he almost lost his best friend—no, his sister, and he felt as if he was partially to blame.

The dirty blonde sighs, and immediately goes to his liquor cabinet. He pulls out a glass and a bottle of scotch, before taking a seat at the bar and pouring himself a healthy glass. Kristoff downs it, before quickly pouring another.

He sits there for a while, just staring at the wall as he polishes off almost half the bottle. Then, there’s a knock at the door.

“The hell?” he mutters. He stumbles to the door to wrench it open, but when he sees who it is, he merely glares. “What the hell do _you_ want?”

“Okay, wow, hostile much?” Anna frowns at him. “I mean, I know me and Els had a fight and all, but really?” The redhead then scrunches her nose and leans back a bit. “God, you look terrible…Wait, are you _drunk?—”_

“Get out,” Kristoff snarls, moving to close the door, but Anna puts her foot in the way before he can.

“Wait. I just want to talk to Elsa,” Anna says, and pushes her way in.

“Yeah well you can’t,” Kristoff huffs, walking back over to his drink.

“Why not?” Anna pushes, following him inside. “Look, I know Elsa’s mad at me, but we need to talk this out,” she says, but the blonde ignores her. “Damn it, Kristoff why can’t I see her? I think I’ve given her enough space as it is, don’t you?”

“You can’t see her because she’s in a fucking mental institution, Anna!” Kristoff suddenly snaps, moving to tower over her. “Because of _you!”_

“What?” Anna reels back in shock.

“She tried to _kill_ herself last night!” Kristoff continues, now pushing Anna back towards the door. “She tried to take her own fucking _life_!”

“Wait, _what?_ She tried to…no, that’s not right,” Anna shakes her head in disbelief. “Elsa would never…”

“Yeah well I thought so too, until I barged in on her in the tub with her wrists slit,” Kristoff growls, causing the redhead to blanch.

“Wha—is…is she okay?!” Anna stammers, taking a step back.

“She’s alive, if that’s what you mean. But okay? No, Anna, she’s the farthest thing from okay,” Kristoff says, before snarling again. “This is all your fault.”

“ _My_ fault? How the hell is this _my_ fault,” Anna snaps, scowling at the blonde.

“Look, I don’t know what you said to her in Vancouver, but whatever it was…” Kristoff shakes his head. “And you know what the worst part is? She actually believes that she didn’t do it.”

“What’re you talking about?” Anna huffs, crossing her arms.

Kristoff looks up at the ginger, glowering at her. “Elsa told me she didn’t do it. She thinks Olaf did.” 

Anna’s expression drops. “No,” she whispers in shocked awe.

“That’s right,” Kristoff shakes his head. “I mean I knew she had some problems—God knows I knew—but I never thought she would fall back to actually believing he was real again,” He looks back up at the redhead, who still looks completely shocked. “You really did a number on her, you know.”  

With that, the blonde walks back to his bottle. He brings it to the kitchen island, and pours himself another generous drink, unsure why he is bothering to use a tumbler still in the first place. Before he can guzzle it down, however, Anna snatches it up, tips her head back, and finishes the entirety.

“Fuck,” Anna curses. Her knuckles are pale as she angrily tightens her grip on the tumbler.

“Anna, you’ll cut—”

Kristoff’s warning falls on deaf ears as Anna shatters the glass. “Anna! God damn it, I’ve see enough fucking blood this week! What the hell?” He moves to grab her by the wrist and begin first aid, but he drops her hand when looks down at it. His eyes flick to Anna’s and he looks like an animal cornered—angry and scared. “What…What are you?”

Anna looks down at her hand. Seconds ago, it had been cut in several places, and blood had poured from the wounds. In the time it had taken Kristoff to grab at it, however, the blood had flowed back into Anna, and her wounds had healed.

Anna meets his gaze with a glare. “Right now, I’m Olaf’s worst nightmare.”

~.~.~.~.~

“Get away from me,” Elsa snarled, pushing herself as far back into a corner as she can. Thankfully, the nurses had released her from her bindings, but she was still stuck in this hell hole. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

“Miss Arendelle, please, we are just trying to help,” the nurse says, trying to grab the blonde’s arm again to administer a shot. “It’s just morphine. It’ll help with the pain.”

“I don’t need your help,” Elsa growls, yanking her arm back. “Go away!”

“Miss Arendelle if you don’t cooperate, I will have to sedate you!” the nurse warns, but the blonde only glares at her. “Fine, you want to be difficult, then be difficult” the nurse throws her hands up in frustration, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Then she walks out the door, leaving Elsa alone.

Elsa only glares after her, knowing that she won’t be alone for long. More than likely, the nurse had gone to get the orderlies. The blonde sighs, allowing herself to relax for a moment, rubbing at her bandages. Her wrists _were_ hurting, and more so, her back felt as if it was on fire. The space between her blades burns something fierce, though she still doesn’t know why. But still, she refuses to comply at all for these people. Just because she has to be here, doesn’t mean she has to make it easy.

Elsa groans, stretching to relieve some of her discomfort. She won’t lie, morphine sounds amazing right now, but she has to be strong. The blonde takes a deep breath, more to calm herself than anything. She was stuck here, and freaking out wasn’t going to do anything to help. She’s already been here for almost two days, not including the night Kristoff had brought her in. And unfortunately, the blonde had never returned like he said he would. And that really hurt Elsa. She never thought she could upset her friend enough that he would just abandon her like that, but apparently she was wrong.

Elsa closes her eyes, and focuses on her breathing, allowing herself to think of Anna for the first time in days. Despite the fact that the redhead had hurt her, she was still the only thing that seemed to calm the blonde down.  A gentle smile grace’s Elsa’s face as she thought of Anna’s warm teal eyes, and she feels her muscles start to loosen.

Before she can fully relax, however, the door opens again and, just as she had suspected, two orderlies—one of them looking to be the size of the hulk, and the other being closer to Kristoff’s size—enter, followed by the nurse from before.

Elsa backs up against the wall, getting herself ready to put up a fight. There’s no way she’s going down easy this time.

“Now, Miss Arendelle, we can this the easy way, or the hard way,” the nurse tells her, crossing her arms.

“Fuck you,” is Elsa’s venomous answer, and the nurse sighs, before nodding to the orderlies.

The two men approach Elsa, each grabbing and holding her down before she can run. The blonde fights, but their grip is too strong, and she soon feels the familiar pinch of one, then two needles going into her arm. The orderlies release her as soon as the nurse is done, and Elsa flops to the bed, the drugs already making her groggy.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, now was it,” the nurse chides her, before turning to the orderlies. “Keep an eye on her,” she tells them, and they nod, before watching her leave.

“Bitch…” Elsa mumbles after her, and it looks like one of the orderlies is trying to hold back a smile. The nurse merely rolls her eyes, and exits the room without another word.

As soon as the door closes, the smaller of the two turns to the other, rolling his eyes. “ _Finally_. I thought we’d never get her alone,” he says walking over to Elsa. “Come on, Marsh, let’s get her outta here.”

“Wait…what?” Elsa mumbles, struggling against the fog in her mind to sit up. “W-who are you?”

“I’m going to pretend that you’re only asking me that because you’re so doped up that you don’t even know your own name,” the orderly replies, before turning to ‘Marsh.’ “All right big guy, you carry her, and I’ll keep watch.”

The second orderly merely nods, before leaning down and lifting Elsa bridal style. The blonde would’ve struggled against his hold, but she was fighting a losing battle against the drugs that were flowing through her system. She knows soon she’ll succumb to the sedative completely.

“You got her?” the first orderly asks, and Marsh nods once, holding Elsa protectively against his chest. “Good. Let’s go.”

He opens the door, checking that the coast is clear, before ushering Marsh into the hallway. They move quickly and quietly though the hospital, the shorter orderly stopping them whenever a nurse or doctor walks across their path. At one point, Marsh has to hide as a doctor stops the shorter of the two—who Elsa gathers is called Sven—in order to ask him a question about some patient or other.

The whole while, Elsa is struggling to stay awake long enough to figure out what the hell is going on. She is so completely confused, and the fact that the nurse had sedated her moments ago isn’t helping her brain function at all. “Where…where are you taking me?” she manages to ask the large man holding her.

Marsh merely looks down at her, his eyes softening, but he doesn’t answer her question as they continue to weave throughout the hospital.

Soon they are only one hall length away from freedom. Elsa feels Marsh hold her a little tighter as he and Sven practically sprint to the exit, and then suddenly, sunlight. Elsa blinks rapidly, weakly bringing her hand up to hide her eyes from the offending light, and groaning in discomfort.

While she’s happy to be out of that Godforsaken room, she’s understandably worried about the two men who have just essentially kidnapped her. And the worst part? There isn’t anything she can do to stop them, at least not in her current state.  

In the meanwhile, the two orderlies never stop running until they reach an unmarked black sedan. Sven quickly opens up the back door, and Marsh gently places Elsa inside, buckling her in with the upmost care, before running around to slide in next to her, as the other man gets behind the wheel and peels out.

By now, Elsa can feel herself starting to finally slip into unconsciousness. The drugs the nurse gave her must not have been as strong as before, but they were still doing their job. As the blonde feels herself succumbing to delirium, she notices Sven pull out a cell phone and hold it to his ear.

“We got her,” she hears him say into the phone, and then everything fades away.

~.~.~.~.~


	19. Ninteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my Gosh, another chapter?! What is this madness ;) Not gonna lie, I've kinda felt bad for being spotty with my updates, and that, coupled with a sudden explosion of inspiration, has caused me to write a whole lot more. But I gotta warn y'all, Imma be outta town starting tomorrow for about four weeks, so i might not be able to update. Not saying I won't try, but you should know that it's a possibility.   
> But that aside, I hope y'all like this chapter! Things are starting to come to head!
> 
> As always, thanks to Litniche, cause she's the best beta/co-writer ever!
> 
> Without further ado, chapter 19!

Fall from Grace

Chapter 19

“What the fucking hell?!”

_Kristoff?_

Elsa groans internally as she feels herself become semi-conscious, the drugs the nurse gave her finally wearing off. Though the morphine is still dulling the pain in her wrists and back, she can feel it slowly leaving her system, the familiar burn starting up again between her shoulder blades.

“Calm down, Kristoff,” she hears another voice, this one stern, try to shush him. 

_Anna? What the hell is going on? Where am I?_

“What the fuck were you thinking?!” Kristoff yells, and she can hear the slight panic in his voice. “You can’t just _kidnap_ people, Anna! I don’t care _what_ you are!”

“Kristoff, you need to relax—”

“Relax? Relax?!” Kristoff’s voice breaks on the last word. “How the hell am I supposed to relax when my job—no my _freedom_ is on the line?! Do you know how much trouble we could get in for this?!”

Elsa tries to open her eyes at this point, but the sedatives still have a bit of a hold on her. The blonde would huff in irritation if she could. And the burning in her back is really starting to hurt. She wishes it would stop. It’s quiet for a moment until Elsa hears Kristoff speak again.

“We’re taking her back. Right now,” he growls, and Elsa can practically feel his stomps as he approaches her.

“What? No!” she hears Anna scramble after Kristoff. “That’s a terrible idea!”

“Anna, get off me! We have to take her back before someone comes looking for her!”

“No, Kristoff, wait,” Anna pleads. “Trust me, it’ll be okay!”

“Okay? Anna, this situation is anything but okay!”

“Kristoff, please. I know how this looks, but believe me when I say it’ll be all right!”

“Move, Anna. Now.”

“Wait, just—”

“No, Anna—get off me—”

“AHHH!” Elsa suddenly screams out in agony, interrupting whatever Kristoff was going to say as her back arches in pain. Her eyes finally shoot open, but all she can see is red as her voice cracks from the force of her yell. It feels as if her back is fire, worse than ever before, and she fails to hold back a sob as she rolls off of the surface she’s laying on, landing on her side with a dull thud.

“Elsa!” someone—Sven?—exclaims as she curls into a ball, tears streaming down her face. Sweat rolls down her temples as she clenches her hands to her chest. She lets out chocked sobs, and shivers in pain. Her back spasms again, and she lets out another yell, her body beginning to seize.

 _What’s happening to me?!_ she thinks helplessly through the pain.  

“Hold her down!” another person yells—Kristoff she thinks. It’s really hard to tell through the torture she’s experiencing. “Don’t let her hurt herself!”

Elsa feels two pairs of hands hold her down as she continues to cry out in agony, her voice quickly becoming raw. She feels herself arch again, and she whimpers, her back now feeling as if the skin is being torn in half, as if there’s…something trying to escape from between her shoulder blades.

“W-what…what the hell is happening?” Kristoff yells shakily. “What the fuck is going on?”

“It’s not supposed to be like this,” a voice to her right says brokenly. “It’s not supposed to hurt her like this.” Even through her pain, Elsa recognizes Anna’s voice. “I’m sorry, Elsa,” the redhead cries as another wave of pain rocks the blonde’s body. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

Elsa wants to respond, to tell Anna that this isn’t her fault, but she suddenly feels something rip, and the worst pains she’s ever felt before rolls through her body, sending her into oblivion.

~.~.~.~.~

_Elsa looks around the room, her brows coming together in confusion. She knows this place. The blonde examines the space in hopes of finding clues that remind her of where she is. Unfortunately, there’s not much: four white walls, a door, and a small, wooden altar. The blonde is about to take a step towards said altar, when suddenly the door opens, and someone timidly enters the room._

_Elsa turns to see who it is, but she freezes in shock when she sees it’s herself._

What the hell? _she thinks, her eyes wide. It’s almost like she’s looking in a mirror. Granted, there are a few difference between the two of them. This Elsa looks older, wiser, and her hair is flowing freely around her shoulders, something the real Elsa would never do in a million years. And, more noticeably, she has a set of large, pure white wings attached to her back._ What’s going on? Is…is this a dream or something?

_“Who are you?” Elsa demands, trying her best to keep her voice steady. The doppelganger doesn’t answer. She merely walks past Elsa, completely ignoring her. She stops just before the altar only to kneel, her head bowed. “Hey! Don’t just ignore me!”_

_Again, the other Elsa doesn’t respond._

Maybe she can’t hear me…or see me… _Elsa thinks, as she walks up behind her twin. She waves a hand in front of the blonde, and she doesn’t even blink._ It’s like I’m not even here.

_“You wished to see me,” The other Elsa addresses the altar._

_Elsa cocks her head in confusion, before looking around the room._ Who is she talking to? I mean, it’s obviously not me.

_Suddenly, a light rises from in front of the kneeling girl, stopping when it’s floating just above her. Elsa examines the orb curiously. It starts off the size of a bowling ball, but then starts to shift, shrinking then enlarging randomly. The inside of the orb is a bright white color, but the edges range from a light blue to a radiant yellow, and every color in between as it constantly changes. Tendrils of black swirl around the light, stretching out to probe the room, before quickly retracting. If Elsa is being honest, it’s incredibly beautiful. She feels drawn to it, like it’s the only thing she’s ever wanted. The blonde doesn’t know how, but it looks so warm inside the orb. It looks like home._

_Then, it speaks._

_“Rise Elsa,” it addresses the winged girl in front of it, pulsing with each word, and turning a muted blue. Elsa gasps at the voice, a since of familiarity washing over her as it resonates throughout the room. The kneeling blonde does as she’s told, but keeps her head bowed, looking almost…guilty. “You have sinned, my child.”_

_“Yes, Father,” the girl agrees. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. The kingdom didn’t suffer any permanent damage, and I’ve regained control. I swear it to you.”_

_“While that’s all good and well, that’s not why I called you here, Elsa,” the orb replies. “Though it is a product of your failures.”_

_“Father?” The other Elsa looks up in question._

_“Elsa, you have forsaken me,” the orb accuses her, changing to a dark red, almost purple, and the girl blanches._

_“Wha—Father, I would never…” she stammers, her eyes wide._

_“But you have, Elsa,” the orb continues, sounding almost…sad, now deep blue in color. “You have given yourself—your heart—to another.”_

_Elsa watches as her other self’s eyes widen in surprise, then in understanding._

_Elsa can’t help but feel like this isn’t her first time experiencing this, but the more she tries to understand, the more it slips from her grasp, as if she’s trying to remember a dream._

_“Anna...” she hears the other Elsa whisper knowingly. “Father, I swear, I never meant—”_

_“I know, my child. You had nothing but good intentions,” the orb interrupts her. The orb shifts to a greenish color, sounding somewhat irritated, mocking even. “But that does not change what you have done.”_

_“Father, I…I’m sorry,” The winged blonde bows her head sadly. “What can I do to redeem myself—ourselves?”_

_“You have two choices, Elsa,” the orb replies sternly, red again, “to seek redemption.”_

_“Tell me, Father,” Elsa watches herself plead helplessly. “Tell me what I must do.”_

_The orb is silent for a moment, floating above the altar as it shifts through several colors, almost too fast for Elsa to comprehend, before settling on black._

_“Your first choice, is to relinquish your wings, and become mortal,” it tells the other Elsa, continuing before she can object. “You will start your life over as a human. You will grow and live a full, healthy life, and you will die a human death. You will relinquish all of your memories, and will know nothing of me, or this place, but you will be happy, that much I can give you. But if you choose this path, Anna will stay here.”_

_The other blonde’s eyes go wide, but the orb presses on, and the girl stays quiet, seeming to understand that she is not to speak until it—or rather_ He _—is finished._

_“Your second choice, however, is to remain here, with me. You will remain at my side, as my second in command. You will serve me faithfully, for all eternity as you were always meant to. You will keep your memories, and you will remain with your family and friends,” the orb states, but Elsa can’t help but feel as if the second choice sounds too good to be true. Her twin seems to feel the same._

_“And…if I stay…what will become of Anna?” she asks, timidly. “Will she be sent to earth?”_

_“No,” the orb pulses, still black in color, looking almost like a void in space. “If you choose to remain here, Anna will perish.”_

_The look on the second Elsa’s face matches that on the first’s: Pure shock and horror._

_“W-what?” the other Elsa stammers, tears forming in her eyes. “Father, why…why would you…” she leaves off, closing her eyes as she tries to calm herself. The orb offers no explanation, no words of comfort. It just floats there in its ultimate judgment._

_Elsa decides she doesn’t really like the orb that much after all._

_As she glares at the offending light, she notices that her other self’s breath has started to fog over, and she glances around the room, only to see ice starting to creep up the wall._

The hell…? _she thinks, trying to make sense of what’s going on._

_After a few moments, the other Elsa seems to have gained some control over her emotions, and her voice brings Elsa’s attention back to the scene._

_“Father…why can’t you banish us both? To live in the human world together?” she asks slowly, her fists clenched at her side. “Wouldn’t us both giving up our immortality be enough?”_

_“Elsa, if I allow you and Anna to be together as you say, you will have learned nothing,” the orb says sternly. “I will have rewarded you for breaking my commandments, and I cannot do that. It would create disorder and chaos.”_

_“But Father—”_

_“No, Elsa!” the orb booms, expanding to take up almost the whole room and turning a dark red as its voice shakes the walls. Elsa, as she ducks, tries to cover her head, terrified of the entity. “You have broken my laws and you_ must _be punished!”_

_The other Elsa falls to her knees in fear, bringing her hands up to cover her face. When she does, the orb pulses once, and then shrinks down again, before pulsing a muted purple._

_“Oh my dear Elsa,” it says gently, a black tendril extending to move the kneeling girls hands, and tilt her chin up. “It pains me that I must do this, especially to you. You are my most special creation, and I love you dearly. But I cannot allow you to be with her, or I will lose you completely.”_

_“But Father, why must Anna die, while I will be given life?” the girl questions the orb, her tears spilling over. “It’s…it’s not fair!”_

_“No, it is not,” the orb agrees. “But if I were to allow her to live, while your memories remain intact, there is the chance that you will try to find a way to bring her back. In fact, I know you will.”_

_“And you don’t think Anna will try the same,” the other Elsa challenges, now angry. “She loves me too, you know. This isn’t one-sided.”_

_“I know this,” the orb says, remaining stoic, at least as far as Elsa can tell. “But there is one key difference. She did not allow her love of you to override her love of me.”_

_That seems to knock the air out of Elsa’s second, and she can understand why. The orb just told her that the love of her life doesn’t feel nearly as strongly about her as she does about them. And that has to hurt._

_“Anna will not go against my wishes,” the orb continues. “Because she knows her place.”_

Ouch _Elsa thinks, feeling sympathy for herself…as weird as that sounds._

_“But…if Anna has done no wrong then why is she also facing the consequences?” the other Elsa pushes stubbornly, ignoring the comment. “You’ve never handed down judgment on those who don’t deserve it,” she challenges._

_“Do not blame me for your short comings, Elsa,” the orb retorts, flashing red for a moment again. “You dragged Anna into this. This was your doing, and now_ you _must live with the consequences.”_

_“If you are so intent on keeping us apart, then why don’t you just kill us both and be done with it!” the winged Elsa exclaims hotly. “If you’re so powerful, why did you let this happen in the first place?!”_

_“Enough!” it commands, shaking the room once more, only this time, Elsa fears that it might actually hurt the other blonde. The orb begins to vibrate, turning so dark, that Elsa isn’t sure what color it is anymore. “You will not question me anymore! I am your Creator—Your Father! You_ will _respect me. You_ will _fear me. And you. Will. OBEY!”_

_The other Elsa blanches, trembling in fear. It’s obvious she hadn’t realized how far she had gone. “Father,” she swallows timidly, “Don’t make me do this. I beg it of you. I-I can’t,” she pauses, several tears rolling down her face, “…please don’t make me choose Father…I…I can’t let her go.”_

_The orb stops vibrating, slowly changing back to purple. It pauses for a moment before answering her, almost as if it’s…hesitant. But then it turns a steel grey, and pulses once more. “Elsa, a choice will be made, one way or another,” it says sternly. “I will give you three earthen days. If you haven’t come to me with your decision in that time, then I will make one for you, and believe me when I say you won’t like what I choose.”_

_The other blonde looks up in shock and hurt at the orb, reaching out to it. “Father wait—”_

_“Leave me,” it cuts her off, lowering and shrinking. “Three days, Elsa. Three days to make your decision, and for your sake, I hope you make the right one.”_

_And just like that, it’s gone, leaving the two girls alone. Elsa watches as her other self hesitates for a moment, before seeming to crumble in on herself. The blonde feels helpless as the other girl falls to her hands and knees in anguish, thick tears running down her face. Elsa gingerly takes a step towards the girl, not sure what she can do, and kneels down next to her. She knows the other Elsa can’t see or hear her, but she places a comforting hand on the blonde’s back anyways. Or at least she tries to, but her arm goes through the girl as if she were just an apparition._

_Elsa frowns, but before she can react, the winged girl in front of her lets out a loud, inhuman cry that is filled with so much pain and heartbreak that it brings tears to Elsa’s eyes._

_Then, everything just seems to melt away. The room shifts and changes until Elsa’s standing in a field. Her doppelganger is no longer crying brokenly on the floor, but is instead standing a few meters off, embracing another person. One who looks really,_ really _familiar._

_“Anna?” Elsa stages whispers, walking over to the two women, though there is no question. She’d recognize those fiery braids anywhere._

_The women pull apart, and the other Elsa takes Anna’s face in her hands, before giving her a deep, passionate kiss. Elsa tries, and fails to hold back a jealous growl. She knows she has no right. After all, they_ did _break up, but it doesn’t make it any easier._

_When the other Elsa pulls away, Anna gives her a crooked grin. “While I’m not opposed to kissing you, but what was that for?”_

_The blonde gives the redhead a small smile, moving to tuck a stray hair behind Anna’s ear lovingly. “I’m just…enjoying the moment,” she says, a hint of sadness in her voice. “You never know how many we have left.”_

_Anna frowns slightly, concern flashing through her eyes. She reaches up, and takes the blonde’s chin firmly in her grasp. “Elsa…what’s wrong? Ever since you spoke with Father, you’ve been so…distant,” when the other girl only looks away, Anna only presses harder, wiping away a stray tear from the blonde’s cheek. “Elsa, what did he say to you?”_

_Elsa feels sympathy for her twin. She knows exactly what this “Father” said, and she knows how hard it must be for the girl to explain._

_“Anna…do you trust me?” the other Elsa says, instead of answering as she takes the redhead’s hands in her own._

_Looking at the older girl in confusion, Anna nods her head. “Of course I trust you, Els. Why wouldn’t I?”_

_The blonde looks down at her, searching the ginger’s eyes for a moment, before leaning her forehead against Anna’s. “Good. Because this is really going to hurt,” she whispers, before plunging her hand into the redhead’s chest._

_Elsa feels her eyes widen and she moves to push her other self off of Anna, only to go straight through the other blonde. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she screeches from the ground, though she knows she won’t be heard. “Get off her!”_

_The other Elsa doesn’t respond. She only holds the girl in her arms closer, whispering broken apologies in her ear, before retracting her hand. Elsa gasps when she sees a beating heart in the blonde’s grasp, and Anna looks at her in complete shock._

_“E-Elsa?…W-why…?” the girl stammers before her eyes roll back, and she collapses into the other Elsa’s arms._

_“I’m sorry, Anna. It’s the only way. Please forgive me,” the blonde tells the unconscious girl in her arms. “It’s the only we can be together.”_

_Elsa growls and jumps to her feet, feeling completely helpless as she yells in the other girl’s face. “You didn’t have to do that!” she screams, her own tears matching those of her twins. “You could have saved her!”_

_As before, the other Elsa doesn’t respond, and Elsa lets out a frustrated scream. In the back of her mind, she knows this isn’t real, that it’s probably a dream, but again, she’s hit with the feeling that she’s been through this before._

_Then, something strange happens. Anna begins to glow, dimly at first, but then brighter. Elsa watches in shocked awe as the ginger begins to float, the other blonde releasing her grip on the girl._

_Anna rises up farther, the glow centralizing in her chest, her wings spread out wide as if she’s about to take flight, her head lulling back._

_“What’s happening?” Elsa says to herself, though she has a feeling she already knows the answer._

_This is what happens when an angel falls._

_Anna’s chest-glow begins to get brighter—so bright that Elsa has to look away, and the blonde knows that whatever’s happening is coming to its climax. The other blonde continues to watch, holding the heart close to her own._

_“Come on, come on,” Elsa hears the other girl mutter to herself. “Almost there.”_

_Then, suddenly there’s a clap of thunder, and a flash of lighting, and Anna collapses to the ground, writhing in pain._

_“NO!” the other Elsa screams, running over to Anna’s side as a booming voice fills the air._

_“YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD DEFY ME?!” the voice roars, its anger causing both blondes to gasp in terror._

_“Father, please!” the other Elsa cries out to the sky. “Don’t do this!”_

_“THE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE!” the voice booms. “BECAUSE OF YOUR INSOLENCE, ANNA WILL DIE!”_

_“No, Father! Please, forgive me! I-I couldn’t,” the other Elsa pauses, letting out a pained gasp as she holds Anna, who has now become deathly still, closer to her chest. “I can’t lose her! Not like this!_ Please!”

_There is no answer, and the blonde lets out a harsh sob, before trying again. “Take me!” she cries out. “Banish me!”_

_“IT IS TOO LATE!” the voice rages._

_“NO!” the other Elsa yells back, putting so much hate and anger into her words that her voice breaks. “You WILL save her!”_

_At this, the ground begins to shake with the force of the voices rage. “WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT I WILL AND WILL NOT DO?!”_

_While Elsa hangs on for dear life, the other blonde merely stands in defiance, glaring at the sky. By now, several other winged creatures—Elsa’s pretty sure they’re all angels by this point—have come running to the scene. Elsa scowls when she sees one of them is Olaf._

_“I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INSUBORDINATION!” the voice continues, large ominous clouds quickly closing in on the field, thunder and lightning running rampant. “YOU WILL ACCEPT THIS, OR YOU WILL FEEL MY WRATH!”_

_“I don’t care what you do to me!” Elsa screams. “But you will save my Anna!”_

_“ENOUGH!” the voice booms, and then everything goes deathly silent._

_“Save her!” Elsa demands into the quiet, her voice echoing. When there is no answer, she lets out a roar. “_ SAVE HER!”

_Again, there is no answer, and Elsa feels pity for the blonde. She is no longer demanding, but pleading, with all of her being. But the voice remains silent, and several angels watch on with sorrow as the other Elsa collapses, cradling Anna closer._

_At this, Olaf detaches from the other angels and approaches his friend—_ no his sister _, Elsa thinks, her eyes opening in realization._ Wait, how the hell do I know that?!

_“Elsa,” Olaf tries to coax her. “Elsa it’s too late. She’s gone—”_

_“No,” the other Elsa growls, cutting him off. “She not gone. Not yet. I can still save her, I can—”_

_“Elsa,” Olaf says sternly. “Let her go.”_

_The blonde looks up at the boy, tears staining her cheeks. “No, there’s still a way to save her,” she shakes her head. “Olaf…I need you to banish me.”_

_The white hair boy reels back as if he’s been slapped. “What?! Elsa…no I’m not going to do that. I won’t!” he says, standing and walking a short distance away._

_The other Elsa stands as well, her fists clenched. “Yes, you will, Olaf.”_

_Elsa watches the exchange, realizing that what happens next is what she’s been dreaming about since she was a child. The other Elsa demands that Olaf banish her, not stopping until he agrees, and then the real Elsa watches as Olaf pulls out the blonde’s heart._

_Only now…now, Elsa realizes what the dream had always been truly showing her. The other blonde isn’t a twin, or an apparition, but her own true self, and this isn't the moment she loses her heart, but the moment she gives it away. And in giving her heart, in devoting herself, to another, she had fallen. This was her fall from grace._

_The dream doesn’t simply end as it had so many previous times. Instead, just as Anna had before, she sees the other Elsa collapse, and then begin to glow. Only this time, when the process reaches completion, there is no interference, and the blonde’s chest pulses brightly once, before her body suddenly drops, falling hard and fast, through the ground and towards what Elsa assumes is the earth._

_Then Elsa hears the sound of someone screaming in pain, followed by the sound of a child crying, and she begins to feel something pulling her away from the dream, though the blonde isn’t so sure that’s what it is anymore._

_The last thing she sees before her vision fades, is a child with a tuff of platinum blonde hair, and the bluest eyes she could imagine._

_~.~.~.~.~_


End file.
